Bruised
by OhGodWhy151
Summary: A high school AU focusing on Bertholdt and his troubles dealing with everything a teenager does. Bullys, exams... an underground fight club run by a silent blonde martial arts master.
1. Chapter 1

**So this is my new story. As put in the words of the great Jellyjay you have to do a highschool AU at some point.**

* * *

Bertholdt felt the cold metal of a locker door against his back as he was thrown against it. It dug into his bare, half-changed skin; after gym class, his bullies would often target him.

''You think you're so clever just because you got top marks?'' The tallest of them spat. His hand was pushed against Bertholdt's throat, pinning him to the lockers. His friends were laughing. "You made all of us look like idiots!"

"That's hardly his fault," Reiner said angrily, coming in through the doorway to the changing rooms. "And it's not exactly hard." Immediately all their attention turned to the larger boy; Bertholdt gasped as the pressure around his throat released.

"He was trying to show us up!" One of the smaller boys sneered. Reiner shot him a venomous glance and he quickly recoiled behind one of his larger companions.

"I wasn't, honestly," Bertholdt said, rubbing his throat. "How was I supposed to know that none of you had studied?"

It was a poor attempt at an excuse for confrontation, Bertholdt thought, but it seemed to be enough to warrant a daily beating. He sighed as Reiner pushed through the bullies, scattering them with ease. Reiner saw it as his duty to protect his oldest and only friend from those bullies. Bertholdt saw it as pathetic that he was forced to rely on Reiner.

Knowing that they were outmatched, the bullies sneered once more at Bertholdt and walked over to the other side of the changing room. Once they had left Reiner turned his attention to Bertholdt who was trying to ease the bruises on and around his neck.

"Are you okay?" Reiner asked, examining the sharp indentations of a locker on Bertholdt's back with obvious concern.

Bertholdt sat down on the bench and pulled his shirt over his head hastily so to conceal the bruises that Reiner hadn't yet noticed. "Yeah, I'm okay. Thank you… again," he said, refusing to look Reiner in the eye.

"Are you sure you don't want to go to the head about them?" It was becoming a common topic of conversation between the two of them. Reiner would implore Bertholdt to go the principal time and time again.

"Oh right, of course. I hadn't thought of that before," Bertholdt said sarcastically. "I'll just stroll in. 'Oh yeah, hi sir, just thought I'd let you know that your son beats me up every day!' I'm sure there would be no horrible repercussions if I did that."

Reiner sighed, glancing over at the pack of boys on the other side of the changing rooms. It wasn't uncommon for Bertholdt and Reiner to be alone; in fact, they almost always were. From the freshman year up until now, when they were in their junior year, Bertholdt had been picked on, and Reiner had defended him. Their corner of the changing rooms was shared by only them and one other person - a freckled, overly-optimistic boy named Marco, who rarely showed up out of fear.

"Still, there should be something that we can do.'' Reiner huffed.

Bertolt sighed "If I just stay out of their way then they should leave me alone." It was a lie that neither of them believed but Bertholdt had had enough of talking about them. Now the bullies were gone and Bertholdt checked the time on his phone and swore under his breath. "I'm going to be late for work now because of them.''

Reiner gave his friend a wide and encouraging smile. "It's alright go on, I'll see you tomorrow." Bertholdt thanked him before rushing out the changing rooms with the bullies hurried insults following him.

Now that Bertholdt was gone Reiner focused all his attention on the bullies on the other side of the room, everyone in the year knew that the five of them would patrol the school in search of a lone student they could pick on. If they couldn't find any fresh meat then they would seek out and unleash their anger and frustrations on Bertholdt. The only thing that protected Reiner from their target was his physique and strength, if they took the time and effort the get stronger then it was almost certain that he too would suffer as his best friend did on a daily basis.

The moment Marco walked into the changing rooms to grab his bag the bullies descended on him, the distance between Reiner and them wasn't enough to stop him from hearing the foulness of their insults. As he made his way over to help Marco he thought about just how much longer Bertholdt would last under the constant attacks both verbal and physical that he was enduring day after day.

* * *

There was only one thing that Bertholdt hated as much as the bullies and that was his job. Cleaning the sweat off of gym equipment wasn't the most glamorous job in the world but the pay was enough to make it bearable. Barely.

Bertholdt had only been working as a cleaner for the past three months but to him it felt twice as long, it wasn't just the ridiculous hours that meant Bertholdt would return home after midnight or the fact that the owner of the gym would often call him in to work hours that cut down on the time he dedicated to studying. Possibly the worst part about his job was the fact that it was so lonely in the dark, sweaty gym.

If he had someone to work with or a friend to help him then Bertholdt might have had a more positive view on his job, he might have even enjoyed it.

Bertholdt was however alone in the gym. He had just finished mopping the floors and changing the shudderingly damp exercise mats meaning that all that remained was cleaning the changing rooms. This in Bertholdt's opinion was the worst job out of them all, the gym members would often pay little thought to the poor worker who would have to clean their mess and Bertholdt swore that some of them purposefully made more mess to make him work that much harder.

As Bertholdt scrubbed the benches within an inch of their lives he thought to his many encounters with the bullies in and around the schools, they would beat him, hurt him and do whatever they could to make his life a misery. Of course, Bertholdt had tried to fight them when it started but he was outnumbered but Reiner couldn't always be there to protect him.

"Maybe I should start working out more.'' Bertholdt chuckled to himself. "Reiner won't always be there.'' Bertholdt was stronger than most boys his age, whenever he finished cleaning early he would spend what little free time he had making the most of his surroundings but it wasn't enough to ward off the others.

It wasn't strength that Bertholdt was lacking. It was aggression, Bertholdt had always been a peaceful being and never fought back even when it would have saved him so much suffering, both Bertholdt and Reiner knew that his placid nature would likely never change.

That's when he saw it.

By the entrance, there was a large board where various companies would try to sell the newest protein powder or a new yoga program. This time, however, there was something different. A small poster, one so small that most people would walk by without paying it any attention.

He leaned the mop against the wall and walked over to the notice board. The main feature of the poster was a young man barely older than Bertholdt standing, fists raised pointing at him. Underneath was an address and a time.

What caught Bertholdt's eyes, however, was the giant text above the man's head.

 _LEONHARDT GYM IS PROUD TO BRING YOU THE NEW SEASON OF FIGHTERS!_

"Leonhardt huh?'' Bertholdt hummed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's another chapter just in time for Christmas! I'm loving writing this mainly because I love Bertholdt. I hope you enjoy and stick around for the next chapter. Have happy holiday season and an even better new year!**

* * *

Bertholdt should have been paying attention to the equation on the blackboard. He should have been making notes about the upcoming test, he should have been thinking of ways to avoid the prowling bullies on the way home. He should have been doing a lot of things and yet Bertholdt's normally sharp mind was wandering.

 _Tonight's the night._ He thought to himself with a small, thin smile. After seeing the poster in the gym Bertholdt had almost immediately decided to go and investigate the gym after school the next day. He had no idea what to take or what would happen so he decided to bring his PE shorts and shirt with him.

What made Bertholdt most excited wasn't the prospect of meeting new people, it was the distant dream, the ever so sweet dream that one day he might be strong enough to defend not only himself from the bullies but all those that suffered day after day. Bertholdt looked over his shoulder to the back of the class where two of the worst of the bullies sat with venomous scowls, upon noticing his investigation one of the two jabbed the other with his elbow and pointed to Bertholdt who quickly turned back to the open and empty notebook in front of him.

The hope that they hadn't noticed him vanished when he heard the sly sneers obviously directed towards him.

 _One day. One day I'll beat you._ Bertholdt thought to himself with a foreign sense of confidence.

The rest of the school day went by at an unbearably slow pace, with each lesson seemingly going on or hours. When lunch finally came Bertholdt sighed a heavy sigh and made his way to the spot where he and Reiner would always eat their meal together.

Making his way past the bustling sports tracks he found the lone oak tree that stood by the school boundary. As he turned the corner Bertholdt wondered if Reiner had got there first and if he was waiting for him.

Bertholdt chuckled "Of course not." Reiner was nearly always late for whatever reason and always apologized.

Leaning his tall frame against the bark of the tree Bertholdt lowered himself to the floor, he had discovered this spot on his first day and had been coming here ever since, even in the rain the thick canopy offered more than enough protection from the elements. In this case the pounding heat of the summer sun.

Bertholdt only had to wait a handful of minutes before Reiner came sprinting around the corner, lunch in hand.

"I'm… so sorry I'm late," Reiner huffed, clearly exhausted from the run. "I promise. I promise tomorrow I'll be on time, no, early."

Bertholdt crossed his arms in fake disappointment and pouted. "I've heard it all Reiner."

"Come on, forgive me already.''

A wide smirk spread across Bertholdt's lips. "If you get a drink from the vending machine,'' Reiner sighed and broke into a light jog. "Orange juice please!" He called out after him.

Nearly ten minutes later Reiner appeared with two cartons of orange juice and threw one to the now napping Bertholdt. The box caught his cheek causing Bertholdt to wake with a yelp. "Wakey wakey." Reiner cooed as he sat down next to him.

"You scared the hell out of me!" Bertholdt said clutching at his racing heart. Reiner's reply came in the form of a pointed tongue, the two quickly fell into a comfortable silence before a question that had been gnawing away at Bertholdt all day rose to his lips.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me tonight? It'd help to have a familiar face."

Reiner scratched the back of his head and sighed. "I'd love to come, seriously, but I have trails for the rugby tournament."

Bertholdt kept his smokey eyes on his friend and smiled a nearly convincing smile. "It's alright, these trails are a big thing aren't they?" Reiner nodded. "Do you want me to come for support? I can always go anoth-" Before Bertholdt could finish Reiner interrupted.

"Not a chance. This is a big thing for you as well. You should go and enjoy yourself," He said with a slight hint of authority in his voice. "By the way what did your dad say when you told him?''

Bertholdt took a long sip from his carton before answering. "He said he wouldn't be back until really late tonight so it should be fine as long as I have my keys."

"If you wanna come over afterward I'll save some dinner for you." Reiner suggested with a hint of hope.

A wide smile spread across Bertholdt's lips. "I might take you up on that."

Reiner knew that it wouldn't be long before the bell that signaled the end of lunch sounded and before it did he had a question.

"So what exactly are you going to be doing tonight?''

Chuckling Bertholdt scratched the back of his head. "I'm not sure. I'm just going to turn up and see what happens."

Before Reiner could laugh a loud ringing sound filled the air, both Bertholdt and Reiner sighed and stood.

"Back to the grind." Reiner joked.

Bertholdt smirked. "Only a grind if you don't enjoy it."

"Yeah, yeah." Chuckled Reiner as they made their way back to their seats.

* * *

"What should I take?" Bertholdt asked himself as he looked into his empty bag. After getting home Bertholdt got out his bag and started at it for half an hour wondering what he would need. Eventually, Bertholdt settled on his PE kit, a water bottle and a pack of plasters.

After leaving a note on the fridge for his father Bertholdt left and made his way to the address on the poster. By the time he found the address the sun was already dipping below the horizon, the building itself wasn't very impressive, only a single story it was a dull grey with only a couple of windows.

"Not a good start…" Bertholdt moaned as he walked up to the battered looking door. "H-hello?" Bertholdt's knocks were quickly answered when the door flew open, staring up at him was a short boy maybe the same age as him with a cleanly shaved head.

The boy looked him up and down and when he saw the bag slung around Bertholdt's shoulders he smiled. "About time. I was beginning to think you were gonna be a no-show. Hurry up or the boss will have my skin." Before Bertholdt could protest the boy lead him inside.

Bertholdt took immediate notice of the design of the building, inside there were powerful lights illuminating the entire interior. The dominating feature of the building, however, was a large cage sitting in the very center of the open room. Around were a series of seats with row after row of spectators yelling their support to the fighters within the metal boundaries.

"So if you go in there," Bertholdt looked towards where the boy was pointing. "And get changed we'll get started right away."

"Um, thanks." Bertholdt smiled. "I'm Bertholdt Hoover by the way." He said offering his open hand.

The boy took his hand in a firm, callus grip and with a strong shake he replied. "Nice to meet ya, I'm Connie."

Following Connie's directions Bertholdt made his way into the changing rooms and for the first time he didn't have to fear the bullies or have to clean it. He set his bag down on one of the many benches and quickly got changed into a plain white T-shirt and shorts. As he tied the laces of his trainers a booming voice filled the entire building.

"And now to kick off the new season we have the first match up of the night!" The announcement was immediately followed by a thunderous applause. "Our first fighter, undefeated in the past two seasons, known for his speed and brutality… LEVI ACKERMAN!" If Bertholdt thought the cheers had been loud before they were nothing compared to those that followed.

"Levi," Bertholdt hummed. "Maybe I could learn some moves from him."

"And the challenger." The booming voice was back. "Unknown to the fighting world he'll have to battle his way through the toughest to even have a shot at the finals…" Bertholdt happy with his appearance made his way out of the changing rooms and towards the main hub. "BERTHOLDT HOOVER!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's chapter 3! I hope you're enjoying this so far, I'm enjoying writing it. Please leave a review telling me what you think. All thoughts are welcome :)**

* * *

Bertholdt looked around the cheering crowds in horror. "What? I can't fight him." He yelled pointing to the metal arena.

Connie smacked a hand into the small of his back and laughed. "I know no one wants to fight Levi on the first night but well… that's the luck of the draw."

"No, I mean I can't fight!" Bertholdt pleaded.

With a raised eyebrow Connie looked up to him. "Amature huh? Well, in that case, I'm very sorry because the next," Connie paused to look to the large digital clock that hung above the cage. "Five minutes are gonna be the worst of your life." With a firm push, Connie thrust Bertholdt through the opening in the cage and ignoring his desperate requests to be let out he shut the fence.

Before Bertholdt could attempt to pry open the metal barrier the entire room was plunged into darkness and silence.

After what felt like an eternity of absolute quiet footsteps could be heard approaching the opposite site of the cage.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Yelping at the sudden booming voice Bertholdt turned around to see a pillar of light illuminating a single figure. "I give you the undefeated champion… Levi Ackerman."

Bertholdt gulped when he saw his opponent. He was short, far shorter than Bertholdt but Bertholdt could just sense a terrifying aura emanating from his body. When Bertholdt's eyes dropped to his shirtless torso he truly began to worry. Levi's body was incredibly well toned to the point where Bertholdt was almost afraid to try and hit him out of fear of breaking his hand.

"The rules are the usual. Fight until one of you can no longer and if there is no winner after five minutes then our generous host the legendary Lionheart himself will decide." The lights suddenly burst to life and crowed erupted in savage applause.

Bertholdt took a moment to look to the room overlooking the entire gym and saw a large man with his arms crossed looking down at both him and Levi.

"Our referee this evening is the equally prestigious Annie Leonhart," A panel in the metal arena opened and Bertholdt was extremely tempted to bolt through it but moments later a short blonde girl walked through and stood in the center of the cage, her icy glare switching between the two of them. "Now for those of you who are new, there is no need to fear, Annie is more than capable of dealing with anything these boys can throw at her."

Levi took one look at Bertholdt and a cold smirk grew across his lips. "This shouldn't take long." He growled.

"Three!" The audience boomed.

Annie looked at both him and Levi and yawned. "Make this good, the better you fight the more you get paid."

"Paid?" Bertholdt gawked.

"Two!" Annie paid no attention to Bertholdt as the crowd yelled. "One!"

Before Bertholdt could tell Annie about the horrible misunderstanding Levi dashed forward with such speed that Bertholdt could only gasp. There was nothing he could do as Levi rocketed his fist in Bertholdt's side, pain bloomed around the impact and as Bertholdt clutched his ribs Levi brought his other balled fist up into Bertholdt's jaw.

Blood instantly pooled in Bertholdt's mouth as his jaw clamped down on his tongue, the force of the impact had sent Bertholdt staggering back into the metal fencing.

"You just gonna stand there?" Levi taunted as he slowly walked towards his opponent. "Might be a good idea to go down easy princess." He gave Bertholdt just enough time to raise his arms in defense before he showered Bertholdt with a dizzying number of lightning-quick strikes.

It was Levi's speed that started Bertholdt the most. Whenever he thought there was a gap in Levi's attacks it was immediately filled with another fist. Eventually, Levi had to stop his attack to catch his breath giving Bertholdt a chance to do something other than being beaten against the fence.

With Levi's attacks momentarily halted Bertholdt could finally go on the offensive. Seeing Levi readying another brutal assault Bertholdt took a deep breath, closed his eyes and threw a blind fist towards where Levi should have been.

Bertholdt's fist connected thin air and when he opened his eyes he saw why. Levi had sidestepped but what caught Bertholdt's attention was the venomous smile he had on his lips. The momentum Bertholdt had thrown into the punch had carried forward, too far forward. The punch had carried him into Levi's rising knee.

Levi had watched Bertholdt stumbled and with every fiber of strength in his being he had launched his knee up into Bertholdt's gut. The air in Bertholdt's lungs was forced out in a single, violent cough but Levi wasn't done. With a single, swift strike to the jaw Levi sent Bertholdt sprawling to the floor.

As Bertholdt struggled to pull air into his lungs Levi threw his arms in the air, circling the arena whipping the crowd into a frenzy. With Levi's attention taken by the audience, Bertholdt took as deep a breath as possible and charged into his opponent.

For the first time in a very long time Levi was caught by surprise as Bertholdt dug his shoulder into Levi's chest. There was one undeniable advantage Bertholdt had over Levi, height. As Bertholdt drove Levi backward the smaller man began hammering his fists into Bertholdt's sides. The pain the spread from his ribs was unlike anything he had ever felt before yet despite it all Bertholdt bore down and eventually forced Levi against the metal.

With Levi's attention now returned to his opponent he began a relentless assault on Bertholdt, hoping to break his hold. Eventually, Levi's attacks weakened Bertholdt enough so that he could release himself, free from the metal wall Levi went to bring his fist down on Bertholdt's when a hand closed around his neck.

With everything he had Bertholdt threw Levi as far as he could, Levi crashed against the metal fence bending it to a startling degree. Bertholdt didn't waste a single moment, in a second he had turned on Levi and in a second more he was charging him once again.

Levi, however, wouldn't be caught off guard twice. He saw Bertholdt coming and he was ready.

As Bertholdt approached Levi took a deep breath, the moment he saw Bertholdt ball his fist Levi knew he had won. Once again Bertholdt had put too much weight behind his strike and as he fell forwards Levi ducked under the punch as if it were moving in slow motion. Bertholdt only had a second to realize his mistake as Levi rocketed up from the floor and hooked an arm around his neck, before Bertholdt could even think of a way out of Levi's hold he was already on the floor and Levi was already on top of him.

Straddling him at the waist there was nothing Bertholdt could do as Levi rained down heavy punches upon the boy.

Using his arms to defend his face Bertholdt could only lie back and glance at the clock, silently begging for the fight to end. Bertholdt took a moment to look over to the referee in hope of getting the pain to end but all he saw on her face was a look of utter disappointment and boredom.

The look on her face broke him, how could she look so bored, so disinterested when the floor was stained with blood dripping from his nose, mouth and the numerous cuts all over his body. Eventually, his defense grew weak enough for Levi to break through and with a single strike to the nose he sent Bertholdt into a turbulent sleep.

* * *

The first thing Bertholdt noticed when he woke up was just how quiet the entire gym was. "W-what happened?"He moaned.

Hearing his voice Connie appeared at his side, looming over him. "How should I put this?"

"He's awake?" Asked a stern, cold voice. Connie nodded. "Good, clean him up then clean the arena." The voice spat. "And when you're done get that embarrassment out of my gym."

Bertholdt sat up to watch Connie rub his temples and Annie leaving the gym without a second glance.

"Sure thing boss."


	4. Chapter 4

**First off I wanna thank Kuchel2077 for the review. It really helped me get through my block. I'm going to try and update about once a week but I'm pretty bad with update schedules if you read my other fics. So I hope you stick with this because I'm loving writing this.**

* * *

"Man, I didn't expect you to win but I didn't expect you to lose so horribly." Connie sighed as he passed Bertholdt a wet cloth.

Bertholdt thanked Connie for the cold cloth and cleaned away the dried blood that had gathered under his nose. "I tried to tell you I wasn't a fighter."

Connie scratched the back of his head. "I thought you were just trying to say you weren't good, I'm so sorry mate."

Taking the cloth away from his nose Bertholdt smiled at Connie. "It's alright," He looked at the blood on the cloth. "Could've been worse right?"

"Actually," Connie chuckled. "I think you put Levi in a bad mood after you threw him. Good job with that by the way."

"Thanks, but I think it would have been a better idea if I just pretended to be knocked out." Bertholdt shrugged.

Connie snorted in laughter as he filled a small metal bucket with water. "You're probably right, you should do that next fight."

"Next fight?" Bertholdt gasped. "What do you mean next fight?"

"Look this is my fault… again, but you've been entered into the season," Connie explained. "You have to fight again."

Bertholdt dropped the cloth and let his head fall into his hands. "I can't fight again! I refuse."

Connie opened his mouth to explain the situation when someone else stopped him.

"You can't." Both Connie and Bertholdt turned to see Annie leaning against the doorframe. "Let me explain something to you lanky. You. Cost. Me. Money." With each word she took a step towards Bertholdt. "People come here to see and bet on a _good_ fight. They enjoy a slaughter like tonight but they don't pay to see them."

As she approached Bertholdt felt incredibly small in her shadow. "After paying Levi I lost money because no one bet on a fight between a professional champion and a skinny beanpole," Connie attempted to sneak past her but her eyes quickly locked on his figure. "And don't think I've forgotten about you skinhead. You were supposed to bring me a fighter!" She spat. "I should have you kicked out but I need someone to clean the blood off the floor, screw up again and you'll be in the cage."

"Yes ma'am." Connie mumbled before grabbing the bucket and nearby mop and leaving the changing rooms as quickly and quietly as possible.

Annie watched him leave before returning her attention to Bertholdt who had now started to pack his bag. "Um… I should be going…"

"Oh no you don't, we need to have a talk," Annie gestured for Bertholdt to sit back down. "If you drop out now I'll lose more money and my gym's reputation."

"So what? I'm supposed to get back in that cage and get beaten to a pulp _again_?" Bertholdt was unusually close to shouting, he was standing to his full height and his shadow engulfed Annie. To anyone else he might have been intimidating but Annie simply sighed.

"Look. Levi is the best fighter we have this season, none of your other fights will be that tough," Annie explained. "You just need to put on a good show."

Bertholdt rubbed his temples. "I can't fight. Like at all, I'd love to help but I can't fight."

Annie scoffed quietly. "You managed to throw Levi across the arena and pin him against the cage. You've got strength, you just need to learn how to use it."

"That's why I came here." Bertholdt groaned. "But look how that went." He said gesturing to the purple bruises that had appeared over his face. "I'm not taking part in thi-"

"I can teach you." Annie quickly mumbled.

Bertholdt gawked. "What?"

Annie pushed her bangs behind her ears and sighed. "I'm a better fighter than anyone in here, if I teach you the basics then maybe you can put on a good show, I won't go bankrupt and you can get paid. Sound like a deal?" Annie asked offering Bertholdt her open hand.

Gingerly Bertholdt took Annie's hand and shook it. "Okay, if you teach me I'll fight."

"Good because your next opponent is a guy called Jean, five, seven and 67 kilos so we need to get you as ready as quickly as possible." Annie explained. "We've got a week so I want you here tomorrow night," Annie took a moment to look at her watch, upon seeing the time she sighed. "Now get out of here, I've gotta lock up."

Bertholdt took out his phone and looked at the time himself. "It's almost midnight!" He shrieked.

"Yeah so get out." Annie ordered. Bertholdt quickly gathered his remaining clothes and left, making sure to say goodnight to Connie.

* * *

Bertholdt quickly walked through the dark streets, trying his best to stick to the better lit areas as he made his way home. On his nerve racking journey Bertholdt passed a newly opened bakery, he took a deep breath in through the nose and instantly realised that he hadn't eaten anything, his stomach growled loudly alerting him to his previously dormant hunger.

 _Reiner did offer me dinner… I doubt he'd be awake though._ Bertholdt hummed to himself. Eventually, he decided to send Reiner a text to see if he was up. It took only seconds for a reply to come back.

Reiner:

Hey! How was it?

Bertholdt smirked as he typed his response.

Bertholdt:

It was… an experience. Can I still come over?

Reiner:

Of course. I wanna hear all about it, let me know when you get here and I'll let you in.

Bertholdt put his phone back in his pocket and off towards Reiner's house. It took just over half an hour for Bertholdt to walk to Reiner's home but when he got there he was greeted by his friend's warm smile in the doorway. However when Bertholdt stood in the light Reiner's smile disappeared.

"Woah what happened to you?"

Bertholdt scratched the back of his head and chuckled. "Long story." Reiner simply nodded and ushered his friend inside. Reiner lead him to the dining room where he had laid dinner. "Is that stew?" Bertholdt asked.

"Yep," Reiner nodded gleefully. "I thought you'd have a tough time so I made your favorite."

Bertholdt's bruised and beaten face lit up. "Thank you _so_ much!" Reiner took Bertholdt's bag as he sat down and after he took several large spoonfuls of the steaming stew Reiner began with the questions.

"So what happened?"

"Well," Bertholdt started. "I got to the door and the person at the door mistook me for an actual fighter." Reiner's eyes widened. "So they took me and shoved me in this arena with a champion fighter called Levi." Upon hearing the name Reiner's jaw dropped.

"You fought _the_ Levi Ackerman?" Bertholdt nodded. "Well, no wonder you look like… that." Reiner stuttered after several unsuccessful attempts.

Bertholdt raised an eyebrow. "You've heard of him?" He asked after finishing another mouthful.

"I'm surprised you haven't," Reiner chuckled. "He is a _legend._ Known for his brutal technique and temper to match."

A thin smirk grew across Bertholdt's lips. "You seem to know a lot about him."

Reiner's eyes widened. "He's amazing! In one fight he broke one guy's legs, as in plural. I've watched loads of his fights online." He boasted.

"I think someone has a crush." Bertholdt cooed, pointing his spoon at Reiner.

Reiner smiled and clasped his hands together. "Of course I do! He. Is. Amazing." He fawned.

Bertholdt burst into laughter as Reiner explained how Levi had climbed the fighting ladder to a point where even his name struck fear into the hearts of his opponents. Eventually Reiner sat back down, worried he would wake his parents with his rantings.

"So what happens now? You going back again?" He asked.

Bertholdt sighed and put his spoon down in his now empty bowl. "I apparently have to, I've been signed up so the entire season and my next fight is next week. However, if I lose that I'm out so it should be fine."

"And if you win?"

Reiner's question took Bertholdt by complete surprise. "Like I would win, and besides, I'm only doing this to help the owner get her profits."

"Oh?" Reiner narrowed his eyes. "There's a _her_ now?"

Bertholdt dropped his head into his hands and sighed. "Yes there is but don't even go there, she's terrifying."

Reiner's eyes remained narrowed and his smirk sharp. "When are you seeing _her_ next then?"

Taking his time to answer Bertholdt finally told him. "... Tomorrow." Almost instantly Reiner's smirk grew even wider.

"Ahhh look at my Berty baby boy. He finally has a date."

"It's not a date! Anyway weren't you supposed to ask Marco out for coffee today?" Bertholdt only wished he could have framed the expression on Reiner's face as his smile slowly disappeared.

"I-I never got a chance that's all." Reiner mumbled.

It was Bertholdt's turn to taunt his friend now. "Yeah, yeah. Didn't you give me that excuse a couple months ago?"

"Very funny. I'll tell you what," Bertholdt was slightly worried by the sudden change of tone in Reiner's voice. "If you get this girls number then I'll ask Marco out. How's that?" Reiner asked with an open hand.

Despite the obvious blush on his cheeks Bertholdt took Reiner's hand and shook it firmly.

"Deal."


	5. Chapter 5

"I told you, keep your knees bent." Annie groaned. "Your stance is the most important thing in a fight."

Bertholdt looked down to his legs. "They are bent." He protested.

Annie rolled her eyes, she walked up to him and swept a leg around in a tight arc. Before Bertholdt could even attempt to stop her his legs had been kicked out from under him.

"We've been over this. Bend you knees and keep your weight centered." Annie bent her knees and raised her fists to eye level. "Copy me."

Bertholdt pulled himself up against the metal fence of the arena and assumed the same stance as Annie. "We've been doing this for hours, can I take a break?" He pleaded.

"Fine."

With Annie's approval Bertholdt made his way out of the cage and sat down on one of the benches. He reached down to his bag and pulled out a large bottle of water, after taking several long sips he put his bottle beside him and sighed. "Am I getting any better?"

Annie leaned against the opening in the metal cage. "You've only been at this an hour."

"So that's a no then." Bertholdt sighed to himself. "How am I going to win this fight when I can't get my stance right?"

"You're not going to get it right by sitting there moping. You want to get through this fight without losing any more blood?" Bertholdt slowly nodded. "Good then, learn to bend your knees." With that Annie unwrapped the bandages from around her knuckles and walked into the office tucked into the side of the building.

Bertholdt leaned back. "Maybe this was a mistake." He said to himself. "I'm not going to win, there's no point." As he considered just leaving Bertholdt's phone buzzed to life. Reading the text a small smile spread across his lips.

 _Reiner:_

 _How goes the training? Maybe you should teach me. Me and you patrolling the school keeping people safe!_

Then he remembered, then he remembered the true reason for this hellish routine. It wasn't for Annie or really for himself. It was to defend those who couldn't defend themselves and punish those that hunted them. Taking one last sip from his bottle Bertholdt got back into the cage and assumed the stance that Annie had shown him.

After several seconds he stood, rubbed his knees and got into the stance again. Each time he felt more comfortable, it soon became a single, fluid motion for him to bend his knees and raise his fists around his head.

"That's better," Bertholdt whipped his head around to see Annie entering the arena. "Now let's see how you hold up."

Bertholdt's eyes suddenly widened with realisation as Annie too assumed the same stance. "Wait, wait. I can't fight yet."

Annie's response came in the form of a balled fist directed towards Bertholdt's cheek. To both their surprise Annie's attack connected with Bertholdt's forearm. "Good, just bring your arm up a bit higher to stop a punch." Annie pulled her fist back and attacked again. Once again Annie's punch was blocked by Bertholdt's arm.

"How was that?" Bertholdt asked with a wide childish smile.

"Still a train wreck but an improvement nonetheless," Annie said as she masarged her shoulder and looked at the looming clock above them. "Anyway, about time you get moving. I've gotta get ready for the fight tonight."

Bertholdt lowered his stance and made his way towards his bag. "Who's it between?"

"Me and a long time fighter called Nanaba, and no you can't stay and watch." Annie moaned as tried to loosen her shoulder.

"Why not?" Bertholdt pouted.

Annie narrowed her eyes. "Because, my gym my rules."

"At least let me help get this place ready," Annie raised an eyebrow. "I feel bad for wasting your time."

After taking her time Annie finally answered. "Fine but as soon as I say to go you go."

"Thank you!" Bertholdt beamed as he grabbed his bag and rushed into the changing rooms. Once changed Bertholdt made his way back into the main area where Connie was waiting with a bucket and mop.

With a cheerful smile Connie handed him the mop. "To be honest I didn't expect you to come back."

"Neither did I but I made a deal with Annie." Bertholdt explained as he took the mop and bucket.

As Bertholdt started mopping the floor Connie began scrubbing the benches. "You know, not many people would volunteer to clean a dirty, sweaty gym."

Bertholdt shrugged. "I work part time as a cleaner at a gym. This is pretty familiar for me," He said waving his mop. "What about you? What are you doing here?"

Connie sat down on one of the benches and sighed. "Me and Annie go to the same school, I help at the gym, get paid and she keeps the asses at school off my back."

"That seems… nice for her." Bertholdt asked with a hint of curiosity.

Connie laughed. "She needed a cleaner, it's not as if she really cares what happens to me at school. Anyway, if you're staying then who's your next fight against?"

"Guy called Jean." Bertholdt shrugged.

Connie looked over his shoulders and beckoned Bertholdt come closer. "The guys called Jean Kirstein, he got to the third round last season. Decent enough fighter but watch out for his kicks though, guy almost broke his opponent's leg once."

"A-are you allowed to tell me this?" Bertholdt whispered.

Connie shook his head. "Not really but I wanna see that arrogant, horse face lose and I actually think you're a nice guy."

A warm smile spread across Bertholdt's lips. "T-thank you."

"I've seen everyone here fight, I've seen how everyone fights. I could help you out, be your man on the inside." Connie said with a jab to Bertholdt's side.

This time Bertholdt checked over his shoulder and saw Annie hanging a punching bag from the ceiling. "So… how does Jean fight?"

Connie smirked. "He's quick, he tries to end the fight as quickly as possible," Bertholdt nodded, soaking in as much information as possible. "Jean is a kicker, he tends to go for the legs so watch out."

"You said he was arrogant?"

This time Connie's smile grew wicked. "He's a show off, he let's his defence go sloppy pretty much every fight. You just gotta wait for him to think he's winning."

Bertholdt looked down to the floor. "Can I last that long?"

"Are you kidding?" Connie snorted. "You fought against Levi and didn't go down within the first minute," He rested a hand on Bertholdt's shoulder. "You're made of strong stuff."

Bertholdt went to thank him when Annie interrupted. "People have started to turn up, you better leave and Connie, make them welcome."

"Yes, boss." Connie saluted Annie as he left the changing room, just as he left he turned and winked at Bertholdt.

With Connie gone Annie turned her attention to Bertholdt. "You, pack up and I guess I'll see you here again tomorrow."

"Um… Annie, I don't think I'll be able to come tomorrow."

Annie narrowed her eyes. "Why not?"

"I… have work to do."

Sighing, Annie cracked her knuckles. "Fine, leave me your number and we'll rearrange. You're not getting out of practise," Annie started walking towards the cage where a crowd had gathered. "I need this fight to go well Lanky."

Bertholdt, fumbled for a pen and quickly wrote down his number on a scrap of paper. He left it on top of Annie's bag and quickly made his exit, as he left Bertholdt turned to see Annie standing in the middle of the ring in tight black shorts and an equally dark sports bra.

Before Bertholdt could let his eyes wander he shook his head and left.

Roughly two hours later Bertholdt was sat at his small desk in his room coddling his wrist. "I've still got another two pages to do." He sighed.

He leaned back in his chair and ran his hands across his head, after rubbing his eyes Bertholdt hunched back over his desk and picked up his pen. Just as he was about to start writing his phone broke his attention.

 _Unknown:_

 _It's Annie. Make sure you save the number._

Bertholdt smiled in the dim light from his lamp as he typed a reply.

 _Bertholdt:_

 _Thanks. How did the fight go?_

As Bertholdt tackled his pages of work he waited for a reply from Annie but none ever came. Eventually Bertholdt gave up on any hope of a reply and focused on his work.

By the time he had finished it was far past midnight. "At least it's Saturday." Bertholdt hummed to himself as he climbed into the bed. Just before he went to sleep he made sure to send one final text.

Reiner had just returned from his late night run when he realised he had an unread message.

 _Bertholdt:_

 _I hope you enjoy your coffee with Marco ;)_


	6. Chapter 6

As the rising sun gently lit up Bertholdt's room he stirred from his sleep. After stretching and wiping the sleep from his eyes he reached for his phone and found he had a message. From Annie.

 _Annie:_

 _Come by the gym at 1. Don't be late._

Bertholdt looked at the time to see how much time he had. "I've still got… five hours. Plenty of time." He smiled to himself. After getting out of bed, Bertholdt got into the shower and while standing under the pounding water he counted the bruises that had appeared across his body.

 _It'll be worth it._ He told himself over and over again. After showering he dressed himself and made his way into the kitchen. "I wonder what time Dad made it home?" He asked himself as he made breakfast.

As he ate Bertholdt's phone buzzed.

 _Reiner:_

 _I can't believe you got a girl's number_.

 _Bertholdt:_

 _I told you it's not like that._ Anyway _when are you asking Marco out?_

Reiner didn't reply for almost half an hour and when he did Bertholdt could only picture the blush on his friend's cheeks.

 _Reiner:_

I'll do it when I'm good and ready!

Bertholdt told him that he'd be busy for the day and decided to go out for a run, in order to warm up. As he reached for the door he realised he hadn't seen his father that morning. Before leaving he slowly opened the door to his dad's bedroom, inside he saw a figure collapsed on the bed snoring contently. Happy that his father was both home and asleep- instead of being asleep at work. Bertholdt slowly closed the door as to allow his dad to get the sleep he most desperately needed.

Once outside Bertholdt clasped his hands over his mouth, bracing himself against the cold morning air. _Fresh air will do me good._ He told himself as he broke out into a light jog. It didn't take long for him to warm up in the early morning sun, Bertholdt enjoyed mornings, he always told himself that a good morning leads to a good day. And his favourite part of the morning was his morning run, it gave him time to think.

 _Annie never replied. I hope her fight went well._ He thought to himself as he rounded a corner. _I wonder what we're going to be practising today._ While his first practise session with Annie had been trying he had actually enjoyed it, if he kept practicing then maybe he would become strong enough to stop the predators that waited for him beyond the school gates.

As his anticipation grew Bertholdt found himself running faster and faster until he was sprinting. Bertholdt came to a stop underneath a particularly large tree in the park he had run into, his lungs burned for oxygen as he slumped down onto the grass.

"Maybe… I shouldn't have… run so fast." He huffed, resting his head against the tree. Bertholdt relished the cold morning air as he wiped the sweat from his brow. After resting for the best part of ten minutes Bertholt heaved himself up and began jogging down the path.

Now running at a more steady pace Bertholdt could begin to think the practise he would be enduring later that day. _I hope we do more than just stances today._ As he ran a new thought came to his mind. _Maybe I should go over early and get some extra work in._

"I bet that'll impress Annie." Bertholdt smirked to himself. Once again, without realising, Bertholdt began to speed up. Something was driving him to run faster and harder, he was so focused on running as fast as possible that he wasn't focusing on where he was running.

Before he could stop himself Bertholdt crashed into a short, blonde figure. Crashing to ground Bertholdt grunted in pain as he slowly stood up. "I-I'm so sorry!" Bertholdt pleaded.

"Look where your go-. Bertholdt!" The figure growled. "Are you following me?"

"Annie?" Bertholdt gawked. "I'm sorry I just didn't see you." When he finally focused his vision on her Bertholdt's eyes widened. "Annie! What happened to you?" There was a glossy cut crossing over her lips but it was the dark purple ring around her right eye that made Bertholdt gasp.

For a brief moment Annie looked confused at Bertholdt's worried expression, she eventually sighed when she realised what he was looking at. "This?" She asked, pointing to her swollen eye. "Turns out Nanaba took up boxing since last season."

"A-are you okay?"

Annie shrugged. "Yeah, I'm fine. She just had a sharp punch."

"Did you win?"

Stuffing her hands into her pockets began walking away. "Yeah, it was just a tough fight."

Bertholdt fell into line at her side as they walked through the park. "Do you want me to look at that, I know first aid." He pointed out.

"What? No. I said I'm fine." Annie snapped. "Just come with me, we're doing so extra practise."

Bertholdt's jaw dropped. "Why do we need to practise so much?"

"I told you, I need this match to go well." Annie deadpanned as they made their way towards the gym. "I lost money on your fight with Levi, people wanna see a good fight, they _pay_ to see a good fight. They like it when they see a slaughter but they aren't gonna pay to see one." Annie explained.

"So what are we going to practise?" Bertholdt sighed.

"Kicks."

"Kicks?" Bertholdt asked. "Why kicks?"

"Because." Annie didn't answer any of Bertholdt's other questions as they walked. Bertholdt shifted his focus from their practise to Annie's injuries. _Who knows what other bruises and cuts she has._ He tried to soothe his worries, telling himself that Annie was obviously a good fighter and could look after herself but that him worry all the more. _If Annie's so strong, how strong are the people she's fighting to hurt her like that._

As they walked thoughts of Levi burst into Bertholdt's mind, his speed, his strength. During that fight Bertholdt could tell he was holding back, the very thought of facing him again sent shivers down his spine. "No one should be home." Annie said to herself as she opened the door. "You're already changed so just get in the ring." Bertholdt followed Annie's orders and waited inside the metal cage as Annie disappeared in the storage area.

"What are you looking for?" Bertholdt asked, craning his head around to find Annie.

Eventually Annie appeared holding two thick pads. "Something to protect your legs."

* * *

"Do you have to kick so hard?" Bertholdt asked, coddling his padded leg.

Annie rolled her eyes. "Yes. Now get up," Bertholdt slowly stood and assumed the stance Annie had taught him. "You have to shift your weight into your legs when taking a hit." Bertholdt leaned forward slightly as Annie swung her leg around in a tight arc. Her calf struck the pad on Bertholdt's leg with shocking force, despite the strength of her strike Bertholdt barely moved an inch. "Now you're getting it. Avoiding a kick like this can be tricky for someone… as tall as you."

"So blocking is the best." Bertholdt said.

Annie nodded. "Now you try, you want to throw your weight into your leg as it comes around." As she explained Annie knelt down on one knee, exposing her padded leg. Bertholdt took a deep breath, his leg curled around and struck Annie's calf. As Bertholdt stepped away Annie hummed. "You've got a lot of wasted movement. Maybe it's best if we focus on blocking."

Bertholdt sighed and looked down. "I'm not good am I?"

"I just said it's tough for someone like you." Annie sighed. "Just try to block my kicks." Giving Bertholdt only a second to prepare Annie turned her entire body on a single heel, her foot circled around on a course for Bertholdt's side. The impact should have knocked the air out of Bertholdt's lungs, should have.

Annie's eyes widened in shock as he leg was caught in Bertholdt's hands. Her kick had landed but Bertholdt's arms had absorbed all of its strength. Bertholdt too looked just as surprised as Annie, if not more.

With a nearly invisible smile Annie looked at Bertholdt. "That was… good."

Bertholdt was about to thank Annie for the compliment when the door to the gym flew open. Both Annie and Bertholdt turned their heads to see a single man walk through the door.

Annie's normally calm eyes grew wide. "Dad? I-I didn't expect you to be here." Bertholdt looked back and forth between Annie and the intimidating man that was walking towards them.

"Who's this?" Annie's father growled, his steely eyes locking on Bertholdt. "Wait… I've seen you here before," Annie's father slowly skulked towards the cage, his eyes never leaving Bertholdt. "You were that embarrassment that fought Levi." His attention suddenly shifted to Annie. "What are you doing with him? You should be studying."

"You saw the numbers after his fight, we need his next fight to go well… so I'm teaching him the basics." Despite his terrifying aura Annie stood her ground.

For a moment Annie's father's steel gaze soften, it wasn't for very long but long enough for Bertholdt to notice. It didn't last, he shook his head and reaffirmed his unwavering eyes on his daughter. "No. You're supposed to be studying, not wasting time with this waste of space."

Bertholdt recoiled slightly at the weight of his words but Annie didn't move an inch. "Dad listen to me, we nee-" Annie was never given a chance to finish.

"NO!" He boomed, the sheer strength of his voice shook Bertholdt to his core causing him to instinctively take a step back. "You will stop wasting your time and focus on your studies." This time Annie's eyes fell to the floor. "And you," Annie father walked up to the cage in silence stopping only a foot from the metal wires. "Get your stuff and get out of my gym." The chilling tone of his voice sent icy fingers crawling up Bertholdt's spine and he quickly turned on his heels and ran out of the arena leaving Annie with balled fists and a bitten tongue.

After gathering his things Bertholdt made his way to the exit, doing his best to ignore to lectures Annie's father was giving his obviously disparaging daughter. Quietly opening the door Bertholdt turned around to see Annie making her way towards the changing rooms with her head held low.

Bertholdt walked home in silence with his hands stuffed in his pockets, the sun had only just begun to descend from its zenith. As he walked Bertholdt thought to Annie and her father.

"I hope she's okay." He mumbled to himself as he sulked through the park he had been running through hours earlier. Deciding to sit down and catch his breath from the rigorous training of the day Bertholdt leaned back on the park bench and sighed. "I was actually starting to have fun as well." He sighed to himself as he looked up at the sky. Suddenly Bertholdt's phone buzzed in his pocket, quickly grabbing it he read the new message.

 _Annie: Meet me in the park tonight at 7._


	7. Chapter 7

**Right I'm starting this one by thanking Lyra Sprinkles for the lovely review. I'm really thankful for the support this story has gotten and I look forward to writing my furture plans and hearing back what you think!**

* * *

Bertholdt sat in the dark twiddling his thumbs. He had been waiting for over twenty minutes and he was beginning to wonder if Annie was even going to show up. The had long since set and the only light in the park came from the scattered lamps.

"It's coming up to half past…" Bertholdt sighed looking down at his phone. "Maybe I should just go home." He had texted Annie several times since arriving at the park but he hadn't received a single reply. After eventually deciding that Annie was a no show Bertholdt stood from the bench and stuffed his phone back into his pocket.

As he started walking down the path a voice called out from behind him. "Hey, where are you going?" Bertholdt turned to see Annie slowly walking towards him.

"I didn't think you were coming." Bertholdt mumbled.

Checking her watch Annie sighed. "Well I was late."

"Did you not check the messages I sent you?" Bertholdt asked as he approached her.

Annie shook her head and pulled out her pockets. "Because of my dad I don't have the luxury of a phone."

Bertholdt threw his head back and moaned. "I'm sorry, this is my faul-."

Annie raised her hand to stop him. "Don't care, I don't need a phone. I need you to learn how to fight."

"And that involves a park how?" Bertholdt asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Because this is where we're going to train. You can't come over except to fight," She explained. "If by some miracle you win then you can train in the gym. I talked with dad about it."

Looking down at the figure in front of him and narrowed his eyes. "If I win? Do you think I can win?"

"I'm teaching you aren't I?" Annie said with the slightest pricks of a smirk on her lips. "Speaking of which, get in the stance."

Bertholdt's eyes widened. "What? Like right now?"

"That's why we're here," Annie explained as she removed her coat and threw it onto the bench. Bertholdt rolled his eyes and folded his coat before bending his knees and raising his fists. "Good to see you remember the basics."

Without giving Bertholdt a chance to reply Annie swung her leg around in a tight, fast arc in hopes of catching him off guard. She did. Almost.

Her calf struck Bertholdt's ribs with enough force to drive most of the air out of his lungs and while enough to send rockets of pain across his chest Bertholdt quickly found his footing.

Digging into the dirt Bertholdt clasped Annie's calf, with every ounce of strength he could muster Bertholdt threw Annie's leg away causing her to stumble.

"You're almost there with the blocking, just got to work on your reactions." Annie huffed after regaining her balance.

"How do I do that then?" Bertholdt asked brushing the dirt from his shirt.

Annie smirked in the darkness before swinging her other leg around so quickly Bertholdt instinctively threw his arms up, completely exposing his sides. Annie's kick struck him so hard in the side Bertholdt buckled over coughing violently. "Practice."

Clutching his stomach Bertholdt slowly stood up and glared down at Annie. "A little warning next time would be nice."

"You think Jean is going to give you any warning?" Bertholdt balled his fists and shook his head. "Exactly, I'm teaching you how I was taught so get used to it."

As Bertholdt went through the motions of assuming the stance Annie had shown him and then promptly being sent into the dirt by a kick that appeared to move in a blur a question stuck in his mind. Only after being knocked down for what felt like the hundredth time did he finally ask.

"Annie, who taught you how to fight like this?"

For a moment Bertholdt considered apologizing, in the short time he had known Annie she didn't appear to be the most open person in the world so when she sat down on the bench Bertholdt was more than a little surprised.

"If I'm going to answer you," She started. "Then you're not going to interrupt _and_ learn how to block properly. Got it?" Bertholdt nodded sharply. Taking a deep breath Annie ran her fingers through her golden hair before answering. "My dad taught me."

Bertholdt's eyes widened in horror. "You're dad taught you like this?" Annie shrugged and nodded. "That's-"

"That's how I learned how to fight," Annie snapped. "That is how I beat a woman taller and stronger than me. I turned Nanaba into a crying mess thanks to the way I was taught."

"But he's your dad. He shouldn't attack you." Bertholdt protested.

Annie rolled her eyes. "I asked him to teach me. I saw how strong he was and I wanted to become just as strong, and now I'm trying to make you a fraction as powerful."

"So you enjoy fighting?" Bertholdt asked cautiously.

After stretching her arms over her head Annie stood from the bench and made her way over to Bertholdt. "Yes, so if you would learn how to block it would make my day." Bertholdt gulped as he bent his knees and raised his fists. "We're not stopping until you block ten kicks in a row by the way."

"What!?" Bertholdt gawked as Annie's leg sent him crashing into the grass, as he pulled himself up from the ground Bertholdt swore he could see the outlines of a smile, not a smirk, a smile on Annie's lips however in the coldness and darkness that surrounded him he quickly dismissed the cheek reddening thoughts that had momentarily come to mind.

The following hours saw Bertholdt fall to the ground over and over again, yet despite the strength of Annie's strikes he found himself picking himself up to face her again and again. Eventually Bertholdt managed to block kick after kick and after stopping Annie's tenth kick he fell to his knees, lungs burning for oxygen as Annie crossed her arms and gave him a nod of approval.

"You know," Annie hummed as she stretched her arms above her head. "You might actually stand a chance against Jean."

Bertholdt's grey eyes light up at Annie compliment. "Really? You really think so?"

"I said might," Annie explained. "Jean is still a decent fighter. Just keep up the practice."

As he stood and brushed the dirt from his knees a thought burst into the front of Bertholdt's mind. _There's no way… Should I even bother asking?_ "Um… Annie?"

"Yeah."

"What happens if I… win?" Bertholdt asked.

Annie folded her arms and hummed. "The fight in the other pool is Mike and Gelgar. So IF you win against Jean you'll probably go against Mike and that will be the end of you."

"What? Why?" Bertholdt asked as he started to feel worry creep into his chest.

"Mike is nearly 7 foot. He weighs so much that even I'd struggle to throw him and he's strong enough to toss a sack of flour over his head like it was a pillow," Annie scoffed. "He's a monster in the cage."

Bertholdt's jaw dropped as Annie described an opponent even she would find difficult to face. "B-but I thought Levi was the strongest."

Annie's brow creased at his remark. "He is. Levi could beat Mike any day. Mike maybe a monster but Levi is something else entirely."

"Could you beat Mike?"

Annie simply shrugged. "I've never fought him. I'd like to but I'll probably fight Levi this season."

Bertholdt scratched the back of his head. "Wait. How does the league work? I thought it was two. Men and Women."

"It is. Until the finals. Then it's the best female fighter against the best male."

"Isn't that unfair?"

Without realizing it Annie had balled her fists. "I don't know. Maybe a frail maiden like myself shouldn't be in the ring with big, strong men like yourself." She hissed.

Bertholdt quickly understood what Annie meant. "I'm sorry I didn't mean it like that! I just thought because Levi was so strong that no one could stop him. Not even you."

"That's how it's been. But this year I'm gonna put him in his place," Annie growled with a sharp smirk. "You, however, don't need to worry about that," Annie said as she gathered her things. "Go home and get some sleep. Tomorrow I'm gonna teach you some throws." After grabbing her coat Annie waved goodbye to Bertholdt and made her way back home through the park leaving Bertholdt alone.

During the walk home Bertholdt rolled his arms and soothed his bruises knowing that the next morning would be one he would be dreading.


	8. Chapter 8

"Hoover?" Bertholdt eyes slowly fluttered open. "Not keeping you up am I?" As his vision cleared Bertholdt realized he was looking up at his teacher.

"I-I'm sorry sir," Bertholdt said as he fought off a yawn.

The teacher looked down at his student with a steely gaze that sent a pang of worry through Bertholdt's body. "Late night Hoover?"

Bertholdt straightened his back hoping to relieve himself of the heaviness that had sent him to sleep in the first place. "Yes, sir."

"Hopefully you were kept up with the homework I wanted in today." He hummed.

Bertholdt's eyes widened. He had been so focused on training with Annie that he hadn't done his homework. "I… I…" Bertholdt stuttered.

"You can hand it in tomorrow morning Hoover." Bertholdt didn't need to turn around to know that behind him the vultures were glaring daggers into his back.

As the teacher turned around one of the bullies leaned forward and whispered into his ear. "Something got your attention beanpole?" The voice hissed.

Bertholdt's breath froze in his lungs as the voice in his ear chuckled back in his seat. Now awake Bertholdt reached for his pen and began copying down the notes, trying to forget the dream he had just about watching Annie fight in the cage.

* * *

"Are you okay? You've never fallen asleep in class before." Reiner asked as he sat down against the tree.

Bertholdt massaged his temples. "Yeah, I just got a late night last night," He moaned. "It won't happen again."

Reiner looked around the tree to his friend who had leaned his head back against the tree. "Look Bertholdt. What's going on with this whole fighting thing?"

"This is going to sound so dumb." Bertholdt moaned.

"Come on. Maybe I could help."

Bertholdt sighed as he prepared himself for Reiner's laughter. "It's her dad."

Before he could stop him Reiner was clutching his sides with laughter. "I didn't know things had moved on so quickly for you two." A swift jab to the side quickly silenced him.

"Oh shut up," Bertholdt mumbled. "He doesn't want me training at the gym with Annie, so, she's training me at the park in the evenings."

After wiping the tears from his eyes Reiner reached around the tree and slapped his friend's shoulder. "Must have been quite romantic."

"Reiner!" Bertholdt moaned. "I don't know how I'm going to keep this up if I'm this tired."

The blonde boy hummed as he pondered Bertholdt's question. "If you win the fight against Jean or whatever his name is, you should be allowed back to the gym right?"

Bertholdt sighed. "Yeah that's what Annie said but the fight is this weekend and it's what? Wednesday."

"Exactly. That's only another couple nights." Reiner pointed out.

"Yeah but now I've got to stay behind and finish that work I didn't do, so I've got to do that then head straight over to the park."

Reiner went to comfort his friend when the infamous school bell rang out across the grounds. Bertholdt slowly stood up and yawned loudly and after saying goodbye to Reiner he made his way back inside.

* * *

Bertholdt sat down at his desk watching his fellow students flooding out of the school gates, seeing them leave sent a pang of jealousy through Bertholdt as he put pen to paper.

Almost an hour into his work Bertholdt lifted his head to the sound of the footsteps approaching the door.

 _Did Reiner stay behind?_ Bertholdt thought to himself, the moment the door flew open Bertholdt saw just how wrong he was.

Standing in the doorway were four of the predators that stalked the corridors of the school.

"Well, well. If it isn't the beanpole." The tallest of them growled.

The one with the broad shoulders stepped towards Bertholdt and looked down upon him. "What are you doing here?"

Bertholdt took a deep breath and stood up. He was taller than the broad-shouldered boy but by no means did that subtract from his presence. "I-I'm working." The air between them grew thick as Bertholdt prepared himself for a fight.

Shattering the quiet that had fallen on them Bertholdt's phone suddenly light up drawing the attention of everyone in the room. Bertholdt reached around the grab his phone when the boy standing in front shot his hand out, pushed Bertholdt out of the way and snatched his phone.

Looking down at the screen a cruel smile grew across the boy's lips. "Who's Annie?" He hissed. Bertholdt's blood ran cold as the pack of bullies erupted into savage laughter. "Have you found yourself a girl?" Bertholdt remained silent, not so much out of resilience but out of fear.

One of the shorter boys appeared at his leader's side, his dark brown eyes widened as he looked down at the phone. "Maybe you should introduce us to her," He said licking his lips. "We could all go on a date." He added.

"S-She's a friend," Bertholdt finally mumbled. "Annie could beat you all." Bertholdt said and before he could pull the words back into his mouth a fist was driven into his gut.

"Could she?" One of them scoffed. "Do you want us to go find out?" Bertholdt struggled for breath as the bullies jabbed each other's sides with sick gestures that turned Bertholdt's stomachs. "Where does she live?" Two of them asked in unison.

Bertholdt didn't answer, he instead raised his head and looked down on all of them. "Oh?" The leader cooed. "Not gonna answer?" Bertholdt responded by standing tall, the bully sighed before raising his leg and sending it towards Bertholdt's midsection.

The surrounding boys laughed as they waited for Bertholdt to hit the floor. But Bertholdt didn't fall.

Bertholdt had caught the boy's boot moments before it collided with his abdomen. He held it as he stared down his attacker. Using every fiber of strength in his body Bertholdt threw the leg away causing the boy to stumble. "Got a bit of fight to you now then?" Bertholdt's eyes widened as the others began to crowd around him. "How's six on one sound to you then?"

* * *

"Ow…" Bertholdt moaned as he pressed the wet cloth into his swollen eye. "Why did I even try to stop them?"

After beating him until he bled the bullies took their leave. Once he made sure they had gone Bertholdt made his way to the toilets where he wet a cloth and began washing away the smears of blood from his lips and eyes.

Once most of the blood had been cleaned Bertholdt reached over to his phone and saw the message from Annie.

 _Annie:_

 _Bring a bag with you._

Bertholdt looked at the clock and saw he had just over an hour before he was supposed to meet Annie in the park.

"That's barely enough time to go home and get ready," He sighed. "Maybe I should I just head straight the to park." Bertholdt hummed to himself.

* * *

As Bertholdt walked through the park with his fists stuffed in his pockets he yawned loudly, the sun was about to dip below the horizon giving the sky a deep orange tinge.

"If I wasn't so tired I'd love this sunset." He groaned to himself.

"Tired or not we're still training," Bertholdt turned his head to see Annie leaning against a tree, in the waning sunlight Annie's golden haired glowed brighter than normal. Giving her a residence in the gentle orange light that made Bertholdt's cheeks flare a fiery red. "You brought the bag?"

Bertholdt nodded, slinging the bag over his shoulder so Annie could see. Smiling Annie reached around the tree and pulled out a large bag. "What's that for?" Bertholdt asked.

"Catch." Giving him only a second to react Annie threw the contents of her bag to Bertholdt who plucked them out of the air.

Bertholdt examined what Annie had thrown to him. "Pads?"

Annie smirked. "I need to see how strong you are if you're gonna fight Jean," Bertholdt tossed the pads back to Annie who caught them and strapped them to her calves and hands. "Make sure to go easy on my frail body." Annie's smirk didn't falter as Bertholdt raised his fists.

As the hours passed by and Bertholdt struck the pads time and time again, a thought came to his mind.

 _I could get used to this…_ Bertholdt thought to himself as his fists struck the red pads covering Annie's hands.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hellooooo for the first time in over a month! I'm sorry this took so long but I hope the wait was worth it. I wanna take this opportunity to say a BIG thank Lyria Sprinkles and Kuchel 2077. Their support made this chapter happen so this chapter is for you! Enjoy!**

* * *

"Tonight's the night isn't it?" Reiner asked as Bertholdt took a drink from his bottle.

Bertholdt nodded. "Yeah, time to see if that training was worth it."

From around the tree, Reiner slapped Bertholdt's shoulder. "Of course it was! Time to show those guys what you're made of."

Bertholdt scoffed. "Like I'm going to win, this guy's a pro."

Reiner made his way around the tree to face Bertholdt. "Come on man. Have some confidence, you've been training with Annie for ages now." He pointed to the faint muscle lines that had begun to show up across Bertholdt's arms.

Shrugging his shoulders Bertholdt stood and stretched his arms over his head. "Doesn't change the fact he's a professional."

"Either way," Reiner waved. "You're gonna be amazing. In fact, I'm going to come watch!" He exclaimed proudly.

A small smile spread across Bertholdt's lips. "That'd be nice."

"You could also introduce me to Annie, I wanna meet the girl who gave you those muscles."

Both boys broke into laughter as the minutes passed. For the rest of the day thoughts of the upcoming fight filled Bertholdt's mind, yet he wasn't worrying about winning or losing, instead he was worried if Annie would be watching.

* * *

"This is the place?" Reiner asked with a raised eyebrow. "It doesn't look all that… impressive."

Bertholdt chuckled as he made his way to the door."That's what I thought but it's not too bad inside."

Reiner threw his arms behind his head and sighed. "If you say so." With a comforting smile, Bertholdt knocked on the door.

A pair of eyes appeared where a slide had been, the eyes quickly landed on Bertholdt. "Ah! You're here!" After unlocking a worrying long series of locks Connie threw open the door. "And you brought company. You are?"

"Reiner. Reiner Braun." Reiner smiled as he offered Connie his open hand.

Connie took his hand and shook it. "Connie, good to meet you," Connie turned to Bertholdt and grinned. "You ready?"

Shrugging his shoulders Bertholdt stepped inside. "As ready as I can be."

Once inside Bertholdt took note of the sheer number of people gathered around the cage, what really caught his attention was the fact that most of the people cheering were young women.

"What's going on?" Bertholdt asked as he made his towards the changing rooms.

Connie looked over to the cage and rolled his eyes. "It's Jean, he had this crazy fan club of girls that _love_ him."

"I wouldn't mind a fan club." Reiner groaned.

Bertholdt jabbed his friend's side. "Is he that good?" He asked looking to the cage with worry in his eyes.

Connie scoffed. "No, not really. He's a looker. He puts on a show and the girls love it. Other than that there's not much to him."

Before Reiner could ask where Jean was Annie appeared from the changing room. "Connie, what's this guy doing in here?" She asked pointing to Reiner. "He's not a fighter so get him out of here, Bertholdt get, changed and warm up."

As Annie walked away Reiner turned to look at Bertholdt, his eyes wide. "She seems… nice."

"You'll get used to her." Connie moaned as he escorted Reiner out of the changing area.

With Connie and Reiner gone Annie came back to Bertholdt's side. "How are you feeling?"

Bertholdt gulped as he looked down at Annie, she was wearing a grey sports bra and skin tight shorts. "Um… fine I guess."

Annie looked him up and down and sighed. "You're nervous I get it, get changed and I'll sort something out," Bertholdt nodded and reached for the hem of his shirt, he went to pull it over his head when he noticed Annie was still looking at him. Seeing that her presence was unsettling Annie rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll go get you a drink." When Annie was out of sight Bertholdt pulled his shirt over his head, folded it and quickly got changed.

When Annie came back she was holding a bottle and roll of tape. "Drink this," She ordered thrusting the bottle into Bertholdt's chest. "And give me your hand."

Bertholdt had to double take. "Why?" Annie replied by waving the tape in front of his face. "Oh."

"This will save you a lot of broken fingers," Annie explained as she began wrapping Bertholdt's fingers together, after finishing the first hand Annie looked over shoulder and leaned in towards Bertholdt. "Remember how you blocked my kick in the park?" Bertholdt nodded. "I hope you remember it when you get in the cage."

Bertholdt quickly understood what Annie meant as she tied off the last of the tape. "T-thanks."

Annie checked over her shoulder once again. "I'm telling you this because I need someone to beat some sense into Jean and well… you're my best bet of getting that done." Annie whispered with the slightest smile on her lips.

"I'll do my best." Bertholdt asserted as he stretched his arms over his head.

"You better, otherwise you'll waste all those hours we spent training," Bertholdt smiled as confidence slowly filled his veins. "Get out there." With a firm slap on the back Bertholdt stumbled out of the changing rooms and into the bright lights of the arena.

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen. The Leonhardt gym is proud to give you the second round of the male league!" The announcers bellowing voice was met with a howling roar from the crowd. "We have an interesting matchup for you tonight! Jean Kirstein," The announcer was cut off by a flurry of cries from the audience as Jean raised a fist. "Against the newcomer… Bertholdt Hoover!" While there was no ocean of fans cheering their support for him, Reiner cupped his hands around his mouth and roared his encouragement.

"Kick his ass Bertholdt!" Bertholdt looked to see Reiner standing as close to the cage as Jean's wall of fans would allow.

"So you're the one Levi kicked into the ground?" Jean hummed. "Say, if you were to… take a fall I'd share my cut with you."

Bertholdt's jaw hung open. "What? No way."

Jean's light brown eyes narrowed on his opponent. "You're one of those types then? Shame Annie has to waste her time on nobodies like you."

"What are you talking about?"

A sadistic grin grew across Jean lips. "I've been trying to add Annie to my collection for months now and you just get with her like that? People like you make me so mad," Jean growled and he raised his fists. "Say, if I win you give me Annie and if you win... "

"You stay away from Annie." Bertholdt growled with even more venom than he had intended.

As the bell rang out through the entire gym a single thought passed Jean's mind.

 _Gotcha…_


	10. Chapter 10

**Time to fight! Bertholdt vs Jean time to see if Annie's training paid off. I also wanna thank everyone who's read, reviewed and followed. The support for this story has been amazing. Especially from Lyria Sprinkles and Kuchel2077! Anyway read on and enjoy!**

* * *

Bertholdt eyed up his opponent and raised his fists just the way Annie had drilled into him.

 _He doesn't look that tough…_ Bertholdt thought to himself as the bell sounded.

"You gonna make the first move big guy?" Jean cooed as he beckoned with his finger. Bertholdt bit his tongue and focused on what Annie taught him. _Don't let him get to you,_ Bertholdt told himself. _He's baiting me._ "Fine," Jean growled. "I'll go first."

Before Bertholdt could react Jean darted forward and struck his calf against Bertholdt's. Bertholdt cried out in pain and fell to one knee, holding his quickly bruising leg.

Jean threw his arms into the air, much to the adornment of the crowd who started to chant his name.

"Come on Bertholdt! Get up!" Reiner roared from the sidelines.

Taking a deep breath Bertholdt stood to his full height, ignoring the burning pain firing up his leg. "Annie kicks way harder than that." Bertholdt groaned as he raised his fists once again.

Jean thoroughly annoyed that his gloating had been interrupted turned to face his opponent. "Want another one?" He jested before charging Bertholdt again. Once again he swung his calf in a tight arc aiming this time for the other leg.

Bertholdt however saw him coming, as Jean approached he took a deep breath, moments before Jean's leg collided with his Bertholdt stepped to the side and brought his knee up with as much force as he could muster.

Jean could only gasp as Bertholdt drove his knee into his abdomen forcing the air out of his lungs. Jean fell to the ground, silencing the audience.

Knowing that Jean wasn't yet beaten Bertholdt took a step back and readied his stance.

"N-nice moves lanky," Jean coughed as he stood. "Guess I'll have to fight you properly." Without giving Bertholdt enough time to even acknowledge his words Jean sent his entire leg around towards Bertholdt's side.

Jean's strike caught Bertholdt in the ribs sending pain flooding through his chest but Bertholdt didn't fall. Doing his best to ignore the throbbing that Jean's kick had caused Bertholdt gritted teeth and wrapped his arm around Jean's leg. With all the strength he could muster Bertholdt brought his elbow crashing down on his opponent's leg.

With each hammer like strike Jean roared in pain, Bertholdt's steel like grip prevented Jean from freeing his leg. Knowing that if this were to continue he wouldn't able to walk, let alone fight Jean let his free leg drop causing him to fall and Bertholdt to topple.

When he tried to stand Jean clutched his leg and gritted his teeth. "You sure hit hard." He growled.

Bertholdt stood to his full dizzying height and looked down at Jean with his fists raised as Annie had taught him. Jean stood on his uninjured leg, resting his already bruising leg on his toes.

Taking a sharp breath Jean darted forward and launched a fist towards Bertholdt's shoulder.

 _If you hit hard I'll take out your arms._ Jean thought to himself. _When he dodges I'll trip him then I can go for a pin._

Jean only had a second to realise that Bertholdt wasn't dodging, he wasn't leaning to the left or right. He was moving into the punch. Jean's fist connected with Bertholdt's shoulder as he turned into the punch. Bone crunched against bone as Jean pulled his fist back only to have Bertholdt drive his fist into his stomach.

Coughing violently Jean took several steps back to catch his breath. Bertholdt took the opportunity to look into the crowd, the sea of fans had gone silent, they had never seen Jean struggle so hard against an opponent. Reiner on the other hand had a large grin spanning from cheek to cheek, yet as his eyes darted between the crowds Bertholdt couldn't see Annie.

 _Where is sh-_ Jean didn't give Bertholdt the time to finish his thought before he rushed forward and sent his calf into the side of Bertholdt's head.

The tall boy came falling to his knees, with what little strength he had Bertholdt rested against the metal fence trying to get a bearing on Jean. As his eyes focused on Jean a dizzying blow that seemingly came out of nowhere struck him on the side of his head. This time Bertholdt crumpled to the floor with Jean standing over him.

Bertholdt groaned in pain as he opened his eyes. Panic flooded his veins as he realised he couldn't see out of his left eye, reaching to his eye he sighed in relief as he felt blood trickling from a cut above his eye.

 _At least I'm not blind._ Bertholdt thought to himself as he wiped the blood from his eye. Jean watched and sighed as Bertholdt slowly got to his feet.

"I looked you up before the fight. You're a nobody," Jean said as he stepped towards Bertholdt. "You know you can't win yet you're still fighting. Why?"

Still dizzy from the strikes to his head Bertholdt stumbled to his feet and raised his fists. "I-I don't care about winning. I just need to… to get stronger."

Jean clutched his sides as he threw his head back laughing. "You're using this as a work out? You're pathetic. This time… stay down."

Bertholdt's eyes were still trying to focus on Jean as he weaved his way in and out of his blind spot. He preemptively raised his guard and prepared for Jean's strike.

Seconds later bertholdt felt a tremendous force strike his raised fists, not wanting to give Jean a chance to attack again Bertholdt dropped his defences and launched his open hand to the one thing he could see.

Jean's throat.

Bertholdt's hand clasped shut around Jean's neck, his eyes widened in shock as Bertholdt lifted him off the ground. With all the strength he could muster Bertholdt threw Jean into the floor with a thunderous boom.

"This time…" Bertholdt huffed as blood dripped from above his eye. "Stay down."

Jean's response came in the form a quiet, pain filled moan.

As the referee checked Jean weather Jean was conscious or not Bertholdt fell to his knees.

"The winner of the second round… Bertholdt Hoover!"


	11. Chapter 11

**So. After Bertholdt kicked some ass last chapter it's time for some character development. I've planned this story to the end and I do plan for romance so be prepared for everything that romance entails... fluff, angst, sadness and a little love as well as all the action.**

 **Please leave a review and tell what you think of the chapter and if you have any suggestions. Thank you once again for the support of Lyra Sprinkles and Kuchel007!**

* * *

"Hey Berty… Can you hear me?" The voice sounded like it was coming from a mile away. "Is he going to be okay?"

This time Bertholdt heard another whisper. "He'll be fine, it's just a light concussion." Unlike last time this voice sounded familiar, there was ice in its tone but behind it, there was a gentleness.

"A-Annie?" Bertholdt groaned as his eyes slowly opened.

Light flooded Bertholdt's smoky eyes causing him to hiss in pain.

"He lives!" Reiner's voice ringed in Bertholdt's ears making him wince further, seeing his friend in pain Reiner gently rested a hand on Bertholdt's shoulder. "Sorry, Berty."

Bertholdt forced a smile as his eyes finally adjusted to the harsh lights. "It's okay," he chuckled. "What happened?" He asked turning to Annie.

Crossing her arms Annie smirked down at Bertholdt. "You won," Annie gave Bertholdt a second to absorb the surprise. "They had to carry Jean out on a stretcher," Bertholdt's eyes widened with horror as he looked down at the scabs already forming on his knuckles. "Don't worry, he's going to be fine."

Bertholdt sighed in relief as he sat up. "I won," He whispered to himself. "I really won."

Reiner kneeled down next to his friend and gave him a wide beaming smile. "You really did! You really did it Berty."

"Okay, okay," Annie ordered. "Blonde, whatever your name is get out, I've got to talk to Bertholdt."

Reiner stood and looked down at Annie who didn't pay him the slightest ounce of attention, as he walked to the exit he looked back to Bertholdt and gave him a sly wink. With Reiner gone Bertholdt looked up to Annie from his seat.

"So," Annie began as she reached into her pocket. "You get the standard fee plus the winner's bonus." She explained pulling out a brown envelope.

Seeing the thickness of the envelope Bertholdt raised his hands and shook his head. "No, no. I'm not taking your money."

Annie narrowed her eyes and put the envelope back in her pocket. "Why?"

Bertholdt's eyes dropped to the floor as he scratched the back of his head. "Well… you can keep the money i-if you'll continue to teach me."

Annie crossed her arms. "Do you really want to win this thing?"

Despite the pain that burned through his veins Bertholdt laughed. "No way. I just want to train some more… it's really fun."

After waiting for what felt like an eternity a smile picked at Annie's lips. "Fine, I'll talk to my dad and see if you can train in here."

Bertholdt leaped to his feet seemingly forgetting about the pain. "Thank you! Thank you so much."

Annie scoffed a deep laugh. "Don't thank me. You're still gonna have to fight him." Annie explained as she pointed towards the tallest person Bertholdt had ever seen.

Walking into the metal cage was Mike Zacharias. He was wearing nothing other than a pair of tight shorts and tape around his fingers, what really caught Bertholdt's attention, however, was his height. Bertholdt was known for how tall he was, it was often a target of the bullies but Bertholdt knew no one would dare try to attack Mike over his height.

"He… he's huge."

Annie hummed in agreement. "Still don't want your pay?"

Bertholdt looked between Annie and Mike, the very thought of fighting the man who just made his way into the arena caused Bertholdt to break out into a sweat. "I'll fight him," Bertholdt said with a newfound sense of strength. "So please teach me."

Staring into his eyes for any sign of hesitation Annie was surprised to see utter determination.

"Okay then. You're training starts by watching him." Bertholdt followed Annie's extended finger towards the cage where Mike's unfortunate opponent had just entered. As they walked towards the arena Bertholdt got a better look at the giant.

He had almost blond hair that parted just above his sharp eyes, Bertholdt took particular note of the way Mike never broke eye contact with his opponent.

"Who is he fighting?" Bertholdt asked as he turned to look at the opposing fighter.

Annie looked towards him and hummed. "A guy called Ian Dietrich. A good fighter fast and strong."

"But." Bertholdt interpreted as the bell rang through the gym.

"Mike's defense is impeccable." Annie sighed as Ian dashed towards Mike's towering frame.

Ian's entire body rounded as he sent his foot careening towards Mike's cheek.

To onlookers, it appeared as if Ian's attack would hit and send Mike sprawling to the ground, maybe even knock him out. However, to Annie the outcome was clear.

As Ian's foot approached Mike swiftly raised his fists to form a tight guard. Ian's strike landed against Mike's forearm with a shuddering thud and Bertholdt had to resist the urge to let his jaw drop.

Mike didn't even flinch at the tremendous force of Ian's attack, he threw Ian's leg away as if was a fly, using the momentum Mike had just given him Ian rounded again and sent the soul of his foot into Mike's gut.

Acting as if the foot was moving in slow motion Mike took a step back and readied his open hands. Mike launched his hands out to catch Ian's foot, bending slightly to absorb the impact.

Mike only gave Ian a second to acknowledge his defeat before he threw his leg away with enough force to send him on his back.

Ian was quick to get to his feet where he raised his fists and charged towards Mike. The taller man's guard remained unbroken as Ian sent hook after hook and jab after jab towards his opponent. It took only moments for Mike to find a gap in Ian's pattern of attack.

Whenever Ian's fist connected with Mike's guard there was a moment between the contact and Ian pulling his fist back to his guard.

"Are you paying attention or shall I get you a notepad?" Annie said as she and Bertholdt watched with crossed arms. The moment Mike lowered his guard to go on the offensive Annie pointed to Mike's eyes. "Look how he watches Ian's pattern."

Bertholdt focused his vision on Mike's eyes. "He's looking for an opening."

"And he's found it." Annie hummed.

Just as Ian pulled his fist back to his guard Mike launched two blinding quick jabs into Ian's unguarded side. Grunting in pain Ian sent his left leg out in a tight arc hoping to send him to one knee. To his utter horror Mike remained standing tall showing no indication that his attack had even phased him.

Mike continued to guard, wait and strike with incredible results. Each time Mike unleashed his rocket-like punches Ian grew progressively weaker and weaker. Eventually, Ian struggled to even defend himself from Mike who was seemingly getting even stronger.

Less than a minute later Ian was lying on the floor, chest heaving and bones aching.

"Mike is on a completely different level than Jean," Annie warned. "He's not only strong but he's smart."

Bertholdt sighed. "How do I train to be smart."

"I'll figure that out." Annie hummed when someone caught her eye, before she could warn Bertholdt a hand clasped Bertholdt's shoulder with an iron grip.

"I was impressed by your fight," Bertholdt looked over his shoulder to see Annie's father with a sharp grin on his lips. "Maybe you aren't a waste of space."

Annie balled her fists as Bertholdt thanked her father, this was the perfect opportunity to ask for permission to use the gym. "Dad, he refused the pay."

"Why?" His voice suddenly losing all hints of friendliness.

Annie swallowed the worry that had bubbled up in her throat. "In exchange for me teaching him."

Instantly Annie's father's expression grew hard. "No. You need to focus on your studies."

"If… If we train here I can study at the same time."

He immediately opened his mouth to shut his daughter down when he looked over to Bertholdt. He looked him directly in the eye and held his gaze for what felt like hours.

"You've caught my daughter's attention. Best make sure you keep it," Turning to face Annie he crossed his arms and looked down to his daughter. "Promise me you'll keep to your studies," Annie simply gave her father a firm nod. "Fine. You can use the gym."

Annie sighed in relief. "Thank you," With that Annie's father turned and left leaving her and Bertholdt alone. "Leave your stuff here, we're going for a run."

"R-right." Bertholdt mumbled as Annie lead him out.

* * *

Outside Bertholdt fell into speed alongside Annie as they jogged through the park.

"Y-your dad really wants you to study."

Annie rolled her eyes and sighed. "Yes he does but that doesn't matter right now," She paused as they turned a corner. "What matters is getting you ready to fight a pro and not get a broken bone."

Bertholdt narrowed his eyes. "I went against Levi and didn't break anything."

A short bark of a laugh filled the otherwise quiet night sky. "I stepped in before he got too carried away but that's what you get for making him angry."

Thinking back to the fight against Levi Bertholdt balled his fists not wanting to remember all the bloody details. "H-how strong is Levi?"

"All you need to know is that he's strong enough to win against Mike," Annie deadpanned as they came to stop. "Don't think about him, just think about your training. Speaking of which," This time there was curiosity in her tone. "Why do you want to get from this?"

Bertholdt looked down and chuckled quietly. "It's a stupid reason really… There are these people at school-"

"You're like Connie then, you need something to protect you," Annie hummed as she stretched her arms over her head. "That blond Ox not enough for you?"

Clutching his sides in laughter Bertholdt wiped his eyes. "Reiner? He's great and he's looked out for me for years. I just… want to be able to look after myself."

Annie took a seat on a nearby bench and sighed heavily. "He's lucky to have someone like you."

Bertholdt was immediately thankful for the darkness that covered the blush that crept up his cheeks. "W-what do you mean?"

"You seem like a reliable guy," She shrugged. "Dull, but responsible."

"Thank you," Bertholdt laughed. "What do you mean by dull though?"

"Dull is good. You're comfortable to be around… and you're not a bad fighter either."

As they fell into a pleasant silence Bertholt couldn't but think to himself that something about sitting next to Annie felt right. They stayed on the bench for another ten minutes before Annie sent Bertholdt but before they parted ways a pair of eyes and ears was watching and listening.

"I've got you now Lanky." The voice whispered as they reached for their phone.


	12. Chapter 12

**Welcome to chapter 12! I wanna use this chance to thank the guest who commented on the fight scenes. I've been meaning to find someone to help me curate the fight scenes so if you're reading (Whoever you are) thank you and please feel free to suggest any tips or ideas. Anyway... on with the chapter!**

* * *

"Okay that's five minutes, you can take a break now." Annie deadpanned as she clicked the stopwatch that hung around her neck, Bertholdt instantly fell to his knees as he dropped the skipping rope, after catching a fraction of his breath he reached for the already half-empty water bottle a took several large drinks. "Now you've warmed up we'll move onto some proper exercises."

Bertholdt looked up at Annie from the floor with pleading eyes. "P...Proper exercises?"

"Yeah," Annie said while rolling her eyes. "If you want to get stronger I'll make a circuit for you to work. In the meantime," Annie said as she looked to the clipboard in her hands. "You work on the heavy bag," Bertholdt followed Annie's extended finger to a thick black bag in the corner of the gym. "Work on building some strength in your punches."

With a heavy sigh Bertholdt got to his feet and slowly made his way over to the bag and strapped on a pair of gloves. As Bertholdt fell into the rhythms of the swinging bag Annie pulled out a pen and looked down to the board in her hand.

"If he's going to get stronger he needs to work on his stamina," Annie hummed to herself. "I'll get him on the weights for a start." As she spoke Annie began to make notes on Bertholdt's performance.

After several minutes Annie was confident she had a decent program for Bertholdt, she made her way over to him and found that he was still striking the bag.

"H-hey Annie. Aren't… aren't you supposed to study while I train."

Annie response came in the form of a swift kick to the back of his leg. "And you're not supposed to talk back to your coach. Anyway, I was going to say I have a program for you to follow," Annie explained as Bertholdt coddled his leg. "I'll get you started _then_ I'll study."

"Okay," Bertholdt said with a smile. "What do you want me to do?"

"Follow me," Beckoning to Bertholdt, Annie lead him towards a series of weight machines. "Connie!" Seemingly appearing from nowhere Connie came up to Annie's side. "Spot him as he works the weights." Handing the keyboard Annie made her was over to the office that sat in the corner of the gym."

Bertholdt watched as Annie gathered a pile of books and papers and carried them into the arena, he looked over to Connie who was setting up the weights. "Why is she working the cage?"

Looking up Connie smirked. "Don't tell anyone but she finds being in the arena… comfortable," Bertholdt looked on for another few minutes as Annie sat down against the metal fence. "Okay lie down."

Bertholdt shuddered against the cold leather as he grasped the metal bar above. Once he knew Connie's hands were there he began to lift. Bertholdt quickly fell into a steady pace as the initial burning pain in his arms dulled.

"So… other than fighting what does Annie enjoy?" Bertholdt huffed.

Connie's immediate response was a bark of a laugh. "You wanna get to know Annie?" after wiping a tear from his eye Connie looked down at Bertholdt and smiled. "There's not much to say, at school, she tends to stick to herself."

"That doesn't surprise me." Bertholdt chuckled.

"Yeah, she spends most of her time with this girl called Mina. Other than that I don't know anything about her," Connie explained took the weight and rested it on its stand. "How are you feeling?"

After taking a series of deep breaths Bertholdt gave Connie the thumbs up. "Good... " He sighed wiping the sweat from his forehead. "What's next?"

"The squat rack," Connie said looking down at the clipboard. "So…" He asked as they walked towards the rack. "Got anymore questions about Annie?"

Bertholdt didn't pay attention to the sly grin on Connie's face before he answered. "Does Annie… have a partner?"

"Partner?" Connie squealed with laughter, after looking over his shoulder to make sure Annie wasn't paying attention he leaned into Bertholdt. "Do you like Annie?"

"What?" Bertholdt gawked. "No I was just being curious."

Connie's eyes narrowed as his sly grin grew. "Well in that case… there is this boy she spends a lot of time with called Eren."

Almost instantly Bertholdt's eyes fell to the floor. "R-right."

Snapping him out of his mood Connie slapped Bertholdt on the shoulder. "Look at you. You really do like her."

Bertholdt blushed as he rested the weights on his shoulders. "Keep your voice down," Bertholdt hissed as he looked over to make sure Annie couldn't hear them. "I… I just think she's nice."

"Right, right," Connie sighed. "Now squat," Following his orders, Bertholdt bent his knees and lifted himself to a full stand. "So come on. Tell me what you like about Annie." Bertholdt almost dropped the weight as he stuttered.

"What? Why… why would I do that?"

Bertholdt felt deeply unsettled by the grin on Connie's face. "Because… wouldn't want Annie finding out about your little crush," Connie took a moment to admire the look of horror on Bertholdt's face. "I'm kidding. Annie seems to like you and well… she could use a good guy like you."

Bertholdt raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"Look," Connie sighed. "This isn't for me to say but Annie's had it rough," Connie gestured to the entire building. "Look at this place. Growing up in a fight club, surrounded by people like Levi… it shaped her."

"She lives here?" Bertholdt asked as he bent his knees once again.

Connie nodded. "Yeah, like I said, this is a great fight club but…"

"Not a great family home."

"You said it," Connie chuckled. "Which is why you're good for her."

Bertholdt almost choked on his words, he hurriedly put the weights back on their stand before trying to talk. "What are you talking about?"

"You're not really a fighter, you don't work out...much. You're like everything this place isn't." As he spoke Bertholdt thought back to the night he and Annie ran through the park.

 _You're comfortable to be around._

"You really think that?" Bertholdt asked.

Connie clasped his shoulder and smiled. "Yeah! You're good for her," Connie looked over and jabbed Bertholdt's side. "Speak of the devil." Bertholdt looked over to see Annie approaching them.

"How's he doing?" She asked.

Connie handed her the clipboard and gestured for Bertholdt to take his shirt off. Blushing as he did Bertholdt pulled his shirt over his head. With his torso and abdomen exposed Connie and Annie walked around his body.

"He's got a good frame and with some work, he'll be damn strong." Connie explained.

Annie hummed in agreement as she looked between the clipboard and Bertholdt. "How did he handle the weights?"

"Pretty well actually."

Seemingly pleased Annie nodded her approval and gave Connie the clipboard. "Okay, Connie get the place ready for the fight tonight. Bert you come with me."

"Yes, ma'am." Connie sighed as he made his way towards the office.

Annie lead Bertholdt to the ring where she quickly gathered her work and walked back to the office. "So, we're going out for a run."

"Again?"

"Yes again. Running is good for you, now put your shirt on and meet me outside." Annie huffed as she put her papers away in her desk.

* * *

"C… can we take a break?" Bertholdt sighed he rested his hands on his knees. Annie rolled her eyes and looked at her phone.

"Fine."

Bertholdt instantly collapsed on his back, his chest heaving. "Why… why are we running so hard?"

Before answering Annie sat down against a nearby tree and wiped the sweat from her brow. "If you're going to fight Mike we need to work on your stamina."

"I thought I was training to get stronger." Bertholdt hummed.

Annie shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I don't it to a total one sided fight. I don't want Connie to have to scrape you off the floor that's all."

As a gentle smile grew across his lips Bertholdt stood and stretched his hands over his head, yet as he stood he noticed Annie was looking was looking at his legs.

"Um… Annie, is something wrong?"

"I think there's a way for you to fight Mike," Annie hummed. "Come on, we're going back to the gym.

* * *

"My legs?" Bertholdt gawked.

Annie nodded. "You've got long, strong legs. Listen there's one thing stronger than a good punch. A good kick."

"So you're saying I should learn to kick?"

Once again Annie nodded. "As you saw Mike works on defense and counters if you can open his defense and land a heavy kick you could put up a decent fight."

"You really think I have a chance?"

Annie held her chin and hummed. "We've got a while before the fight, in that time I'll teach you to kick."

"That reminds me," Bertholdt said looking Annie in the eye. "I've never seen how you fight."

Annie stuffed her hands in her pockets. "I don't like people watching me fight."

Bertholdt looked down at her and chuckled. "Yet you fight in a popular tournament?"

An icy glare met Bertholdt's eyes. "I have my reasons." Annie hissed.

Wanting to change the subject Bertholdt scratched the back of his head. "S...so you'll teach me how to kick?"

"Yeah," Annie said with a sigh. "Come by the gym everyday after school."

"What about my job?"

Annie rubbed her temples and once again sighed. "Quit. I'll pay you to look after this place instead."

Bertholdt's eyes widened momentarily. "You don't have to pay me, I already turned down the fighter's pay."

"Look, a cleaner doesn't get paid as much as a fighter and besides you'd be working for it."

It only took Bertholdt a couple of minutes to come to a decision. Eventually, he reached out to Annie with an open hand. "Deal."

Annie took his hand and gave it a firm shake. "So when do I start?" Bertholt chuckled.

Stifling a laugh Annie looked to the clock. "Now, you can help Connie get this place ready. Faster you get it done faster we get back to training."

Bertholdt gave Annie a mock salute before jogging over to Connie who handed him a cloth. Bertholdt quickly got to work following Connie's orders as he set about polishing and scrubbing every surface in his reach and before long the gym and arena were shining. After Annie had inspected their work she nodded.

"Good job," She hummed before turning to Connie. "Start letting people in," As Connie made his way to the door she turned her attention to Bertholdt. "And you. It time you get home, don't want you too tired for school _or_ training."

After Bertholdt gathered his things he turned to see a startlingly tall girl walk into the ring, her dark olive skin shined under the spotlights as she waved to the crowds. "Who's the fight between?"

"That," Annie sighed. "Is Ymir. People call her the devil, I feel sorry for whoever has to fight her."

Bertholdt noticed to way Annie balled her fists as she spoke. "H-have you fought her before?"

"Yeah, I won but she broke two of my ribs and my nose," Without realising Annie had wrapped her hands around her sides. "She fights like no one I've ever seen," As she spoke Bertholdt felt his jaw drop. "I'm not going to enjoy fighting her." She sighed.

"You think she's going to win?" Bertholdt gawked.

Annie simply nodded. "Without a doubt. Ymir doesn't have a fighting style, she's a brawler and a damn tough one at that. Anyway," Annie shook her head and turned her attention back to Bertholdt. "You better get home before your parents worry."

"Parent," Bertholdt whispered without realising. Annie looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. "Nothing," With a shake of his head Bertholdt grabbed his bag and made his way to the door.


	13. Chapter 13

**Well here we are with number 13! The support from the last couple chapters has been just amazing! I want to say a particularly large thanks to Ionie and answer a few of your questions...Yes I plan for this to be a long story and yes we'll be seeing a lot more of Annie's life in upcoming chapters. (Also a little warning this chapter does have some not very nice people talking about doing not very things to Annie. It's not detailed at all but the point is still there so watch out.)**

 **Anyway thank you for the support and enjoy!**

* * *

Bertholdt closed the door behind him and slowly sank to his knees. "I'm exhausted…" He sighed to himself, it was already late and Bertholdt knew if he that he would pay for staying up so late in school the next morning.

After a loud yawn Bertholdt got to his feet and made his way to the bathroom, where he heard an unusual noise.

The shower was running.

"Dad? Is that you?" Bertholdt asked, pressing his ear against the door.

After a moment or two of silence, Bertholdt got his answer. "Bertholdt what are you doing back so late?"

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't expect you to be home."

Bertholdt's father turned off the shower and a few minutes later he emerged, fully dressed and drying his oak hair with a towel. "They gave me the rest of the night off and don't try to change the subject," He scowled with a pointed finger. "It's past midnight and you're justing getting back."

Bertholdt twiddled with his thumbs as his father lectured him. "I was at the gym… training."

"Training?" His father questioned. "What training?"

Only now did Bertholdt realise that he hadn't told his father what he had gotten himself into. "Oh… I… I found a gym close by to work out at, they even offered me a better paying job!"

"Hhmm… Are you going to be coming this late often now?"

Bertholdt slowly nodded but quickly found his voice. "But, I can look after myself. You don't need to worry about me."

His father's gentle eyes widened and Bertholdt could already see the tears forming in his eyes. "I-I'm you dad, of course I'm going to worry about you. I know our life isn't exactly perfect but… We're still working at it."

"I know that," Bertholdt mumbled. "I just want to make things easier for you, cooking for myself, paying my way. I'm trying to make things easier for you."

Before he even realised it Bertholdt was in his father's arms. Bertholdt was taller than his father and so he found himself resting his head upon his father's. "You shouldn't have to though," He whispered up to his son. "You should study, get good grades and find an amazing university."

"But I can't," Bertholdt suddenly felt his fists curl into tight balls. "Since… Mum walked out on us I've had to step up," Bertholt didn't have to look at his father. "And you've taken on far too many hours. Me working at this gym can help us."

Pulling away from his son Bertholdt's father looked up to him. "Are you sure? I just want you to be able to get into a good university."

"I can do it," Bertholdt said to both his father and himself. "I can do it."

* * *

Once again Bertholdt found himself yawning loudly as he walked to school, that night after talking with his father Bertholdt had fallen onto his bed, asleep before his head hit the pillow.

"Someone didn't sleep well last night," Reiner chuckled as he rushed up behind his best friend. "Did Annie keep you up?" He jested.

Bertholdt rolled his eyes and jabbed his elbow into Reiner's side. "Oh shut up. If you've seen the guy I have to fight you wouldn't be able to sleep."

"Oh?" Reiner cooed. "Is he that scary?" Bertholdt's rapid nod told Reiner all he needed to know. "Well," Reiner said in an attempt to lift Bertholdt's spirit. "All that training you've done has to be paying off." Bertholdt opened his mouth to reply when he was suddenly cut off.

"Well well. If it isn't the bean pole and the ox." Both Bertholdt and Reiner turned to see the usual pack of bullies approaching.

Reiner rolled his eyes and stood to his full height. "Don't you have some kids to beat up?"

"No," Cackled the smaller of the bullies. "We've got a small blond girl with a big nose to find. Know who I'm talking about Berty?"

Almost instantly Bertholdt felt a fire ignite in the pit of his stomach, he balled his fists and passed Reiner, his shield, and stood face to face against the hyenas. "Leave her out of this." Bertholdt growled. Everyone, even the bullies were shocked by the sheer venom in his voice.

Not wanting to show weakness or fear the leader of the hyenas stepped forward and looked Bertholdt in the eye. "We saw you in the park with her, even got a picture of the two of you," He took a moment to let Bertholdt absorb his words. "She's a pretty thing, I could show her a good time." The cockiness of his tone sent shivers down Bertholdt's spine.

"You're no match for her." Bertholdt didn't blink as he stared down the predators of the school.

One of the other bullies appeared at his leader's side. "Don't know if you can count but there are six of us. If we took turns then… she'll break fairly easily."

The fire that burned in Bertholdt's stomach now flared under his skin, reaching to his core, the snickers of laughter that followed pushed Bertholdt over the edge. Without warning he launched a balled fist into the midsection of the closest bully. It would have connected if not for Reiner.

Reaching out Reiner caught Bertholdt's arm mid-flight, he was surprised by the strength Bertholdt had put into his strike.

 _That training really is paying off._

"Bert. Don't try it, you lay a finger on them and you'll be kicked out of school." Reiner could feel the heaviness of Bertholdt's breath as he kept his gazed fixed on the bullies in front of him.

The leader of the bullies scoffed in Bertholdt's face. "Like he could do anything anyway." Leaving in a cloud of sick laughs the hyenas left Bertholdt seething in Reiner's grip.

Once they had gone Reiner let Bertholdt go, his eyes still wary of his tightly balled fists. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Bertholdt sighed heavily. "Thanks Rein."

Reiner watched as the hyenas disappeared into the school. "Were… they talking about Annie?" Bertholdt's nod caused Reiner to grit his teeth. "Those bastards." He growled.

"It's okay," Bertholdt said shaking his head. "We can't rise to them, they don't even know where Annie lives, it's fine."

With a raised eyebrow Reiner looked to his friend. "You sure?"

"Yeah." Bertholdt said as he forced a smile to hide the worry that had replaced the fire in his blood.

* * *

For the rest of the day Bertholdt felt as if a pair of eyes were boring holes into the back of his a the worry spread from his blood, spilling into his thoughts. The voice of his teachers was drowned out by the words of the bullies that echoed in his ears. Throughout the day Bertholdt found himself thinking about Annie in the gross hands of the bullies, the very idea of it sent waves of nausea rippling through him.

"Hey Bertholdt," Reiner asked as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay? You don't look too good."

Reiner's voice snapped Bertholdt out of the spiral of thoughts that was dragging Bertholdt down. "Huh? Yeah I'm okay." He sighed.

"Don't think you can lie to me," Reiner moaned as he rubbed his temples. "What happened this morning has really gotten to you hasn't it?" Bertholdt reluctantly nodded. "Look, from the way you gush about Annie she sounds like an amazing fighter. Those guys wouldn't stand a chance against her."

Bertholdt slowly looked up to Reiner. "You think I gush?" He asked with red cheeks.

Clutching his sides Reiner had to bite his tongue to stop himself from bursting into laughter. "Are you kidding me? You never stop talking about her, I feel like I know her just from what you've told me about her!"

"Really?" Bertholdt gawked with wide eyes. Reiner's smug expression told him all he needed to know. "I-I just admire her that's all."

"Ohhh?" Reiner cooed. "What do you admire about her?"

Before he knew it Bertholdt began listing all the things he not only he admired but loved. "She's so strong and fast, oh and she never backs down even when her opponent is bigger than her," All Reiner had to do was stand back with crossed arms and a wide smile. "And her hair is so pretty and it looks so soft and her eyes are just so blue and…" Bertholdt suddenly noticed the toothy grin on his friends face.

"Please. Go on."

Bertholdt shoved Reiner to shift his smile. "Don't give me that smile!"

"What smile?" Reiner chuckled, shrugging his shoulders.

"The 'I'm going to mock Bertholdt' smile." Bertholdt pouted.

Without answering Reiner walked into school building occasionally looking back to show Bertholdt his smile.

* * *

"Hoover, do you have that homework?" Bertholdt looked up from his book to see his teacher standing over him.

Fumbling for his bag Bertholdt pulled out several sheets of paper. "Yes, sir." He mumbled as the teacher took the work, seemingly impressed he walked back to the front of the class.

"When did you get that done?" Bertholdt looked his shoulder to see Reiner leaning over from his desk.

Bertholdt simply gestured to the dark bags under his eyes and smiled. "Take a guess." He whispered.

Reiner narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure you should be staying up so late?"

"Probably not but… I got it done either way." Bertholdt shrugged as he spun his pen in his fingers. For the rest of the day Bertholdt found his attention slipping from his work as his eyelids felt increasingly heavy. After Reiner walked him home and waved him goodbye Bertholdt collapsed on his bed knowing that he didn't have long before he'd have to meet Annie.

After dragging himself from his tempting pillows Bertholdt checked the kitchen for any food, on the fridge he found a note.

 _There are some leftovers in the microwave for you._

 _Don't stay out too late and work hard._

 _D._

Bertholdt smiled as he read the note from his father, after eating the food left for him Bertholdt got changed into a loose vest and a pair of shorts. Once he was sure he was ready he left and jogged to the gym.

* * *

As he ran Bertholdt found he could run faster and longer than ever before and a confident smile spanned his cheeks.

 _Maybe that training is paying off._ He chuckled to himself.

Bertholdt was so fast he managed to get to the gym fifteen minutes early, after wiping the light sweat from his brow he opened the door and let himself inside.

As far as he could tell the gym was entirely empty, no sign of Connie or Annie. "Where are they?" Bertholdt asked as he hung his bag up in the changing rooms.

His answer came moments later.

Once he came out of the changing rooms Bertholdt could hear music, it was too quiet to tell what exactly it was but that wasn't what got Bertholdt's attention, it was the singing.

The singing sounded as if it were coming from upstairs. _Isn't that where Annie lives?_ Bertholdt asked himself as he quietly approached the staircase. With each step the singing became clearer and clearer, it sounded gentle and calm. Not wanting to disturb the singer Bertholdt trod lightly, only now could he clearly hear the lyrics of the song.

"And as the world comes to an end… I'll be here to hold your hand because you're my king and I'm your lionheart."

Bertholdt sat down on the stairs and closed his eyes, allowing himself to be absorbed by the singing and before long he found himself humming along to the tune. He lost himself to the music so completely he didn't realise when it ended and when Annie appeared from her room at the top of the stairs.

Rolling her eyes Annie coughed loudly startling Bertholdt.

"A-Annie!" Bertholdt yelped, turning to see Annie with an unimpressed look on her face.

As she walked down the stairs she sighed. "Do you eavesdrop often?"

Bertholdt shook his head in an attempt to shift the blush from his cheeks. "No, no! I got here early that's all."

"What did you hear?" Annie asked as she disappeared into the equipment room and quickly returned holding a large foam pad.

"Um…" The blush that Bertholdt had so forcefully fought off suddenly returned as he thought back to the gentle voice. "Not much."

Once again Annie found herself rolling her eyes. "I take it I don't need to warn you about not telling Connie or your giant blonde friend?" Bertholdt mimed zipping his lips shut and Annie chuckled dryly. "Good, now get in the ring and warm up."

After warming up Bertholdt felt his muscles loosening, in the corner of his eye he could see Annie hooking a particularly heavy punching bag to the ceiling.

"What's that for?" Bertholdt asked.

Annie waited until she had finished attaching the bag to its hook before answering. "This is for you when you're ready."

"Ready for what?" Bertholdt asked. Sick of all his questions Annie replied by taking a step back and raising her fists, taking a sharp breath Annie pivoted on one foot accelerating into a blur of golden hair and blue eyes, extended her bent leg and kicked the bag in one fluid motion. The force of the kick was so great that the bag swung violently, Annie followed through on the motion, spinning around entirely before exhaling.

Even from behind the metal fencing Bertholdt thought could only had one thought.

 _She made it seem so natural._

"Ready for that." Annie sighed.

Bertholdt's jaw hinged open. "You want me to do that!?" He gawked.

Annie was quickly growing tired of Bertholdt's questions. "Of course not, this is what we're going to be working on," With Bertholdt's question answered Annie picked up the large pad and entered the ring. "Hold this," She held out her arm and Bertholdt quickly too the pad. Bertholdt held the pad in front of his and Annie immediately sighed. "Like this." Bertholdt's eyes widened as Annie reached up to him and firmly grasped his shoulders and as Annie maneuvered him Bertholdt took note of the rough texture of her skin against his.

 _Focus Bertholdt, focus._ He told himself over and over again as he tried to stop the blood rushing to his cheeks again.

As Annie correctly positioned his limbs Bertholdt had the fight the urge to let his eyes wander across her arms, shoulders and slightly exposed midriff. It was a fight Bertholdt eventually lost. His smokey eyes focused on her milky white skin and the light sheen of sweat that clung to her and when Annie stepped behind him to bend his knees he could feel her steady breath against the nape of his neck, shivers trickled down his spine.

Bertholdt could only hope that Annie didn't notice his wandering eyes or red cheeks, after what felt like an eternity Annie stepped away seemingly happy with his stance.

"Just hold still and don't flinch," Annie ordered.

The moment Annie raised her fists and focused her eyes on the foam pad Bertholdt felt his blood run cold.

It was the sharpness and speed of Annie's strike were what caught Bertholdt's attention, she moved as if it were the most natural thing in the world and it sent him reeling. Bertholdt was forced to take severals steps back due to the power Annie put into the strike, by the time he regained his balance and stance Annie was looking at him with a smile. A genuine, happy smile.

"I didn't even kick you that hard," She said between small fits of laughter. It took Bertholdt took several moments to regain his composure, never before had he seen such a smile on Annie's face before. "If you want me to teach you you're going to have to learn how to take a kick."

Although it took longer than he wanted Bertholdt found his words and returned Annie's smile. "Yes, ma'am."

Once he got back into position Annie tucked a stray bang of her golden hair behind her ear. "Good. Now, this is just a basic kick…" And as Bertholdt felt Annie's calf strike against the pad time and time again a single but spirit lifting thought spread through his mind.

 _I guess it's okay for me to fall in love with Annie…_


	14. Chapter 14

**Well I have some important things to say but if you wanna skip then go straight on ahead but anyway. My final exams are starting soon so I won't be able to write as much so I made this chapter a little longer as compensation.**

 **Next I want to say thanks to Lyra Sprinkles, Scattershot98 and Kuchel2077. Without your chapter by chapter responses I probably would have given this story up ages ago. I also want to say a big thanks to Mishafer for your review, I'm always open to new ideas and any construct criticism so thank you and read on!**

* * *

Sweat trickled down Bertholdt's forehead as his legs finally gave way. Collapsing to his knees Bertholdt looked over to Annie who was still striking the bag with her calf, noticing that he had fallen she rolled her eyes and made her way over to him.

"You need to work on your endurance." She sighed.

Bertholdt looked up to Annie and gestured to the still swaying bag. "It feels like my legs are going to fall off." He huffed after several unsuccessful attempts.

"That means your legs are getting stronger," Annie explained as she stretched her arms over her head. "However…" Annie's eyes glanced over Bertholdt's chest and his rapid breathing rate. "Maybe you should take a break."

With Annie's permission Bertholdt fell onto his back giving his lungs the oxygen they painfully begged for. Once the burning in his chest and legs subsided he managed to pull himself to his feet and make his way to the lockers.

Once he reached the lockers Bertholdt reached into his bag and pulled out the nearly empty bottle of water, deciding that he could fill it up later he unscrewed the lid and poured the contents out over his head. Bertholdt groaned as the water instantly cooled him down, it soaked through his hair, down his neck and through his vest, once the bottle was empty Bertholdt shook his head relishing in the relief the cold had brought him.

With his head clear Bertholdt walked back to the bag and put his bottle down, noticing that Bertholdt came back Annie looked over from behind her bag and found her words stuck in his chest.

Annie was no stranger to seeing a well-toned man, or woman, being raised in both a gym and fight club she had been surrounded by people wearing little to cover themselves, however there was something different this time, the first time she had seen Bertholdt with his shirt off she thought nothing of him, to her he was only a means to make sure her father's gym could remain open and that involved making him stronger. Now her efforts had paid off and Annie could clearly see the results through the vest that clung to Bertholdt's chest.

Under the vest Annie could see his clearly defined abs, stacked upon one another leading up to his impressive chest that only seemed more alluring thanks to his broad shoulders that gave Bertholdt an almost intimidating appeal. Noticing that Annie was looking at him Bertholdt felt blood rush to his cheeks.

"I...is everything okay?"

Shaking herself to her senses Annie walked over to Bertholdt and pointed to the lockers. "I hope you're going to mop that up later."

Bertholdt followed Annie's finger to the pool of water beneath his locker. "Oh, of course," He chuckled. "Do you want me to do that now?" He asked.

"No," Annie sighed shaking her head. "For now keep working on your kicks." She said as she reached for one of the pads and held it up. Bertholdt nodded before assuming the stance Annie had taught him and as his calf struck the pad over and over again Annie was shocked by the determination and strength he put into his kicks.

* * *

"You did pretty well today," Annie explained as Bertholdt left the changing rooms, now wearing his normal clothes. "You've got the strength but you still have a load of wasted movement."

Bertholdt raised an eyebrow as he threw his bag over his shoulder. "Is that bad?"

"What makes Mike a real pain in the ass isn't really his defence," Annie sighed. "It's his eyes," She paused for a moment to see if Bertholdt picked up on what she meant.

When Bertholdt's eyes widened Annie smirked. "He predicts his opponents moves."

Annie nodded before continuing. "Exactly, so if you have wasted movement in your kicks he'll be able to block you everytime you try to strike him," Seemingly convinced Bertholdt hummed in agreement before reaching for the door when Annie stopped him. "We… we don't have that much longer until your fight so we'll need to train harder so… make sure you come over tomorrow as well."

If Bertholdt hadn't been so focused on keeping his blush from rising he might have noticed the sudden shift in Annie's behavior.

"Sure," Bertholdt said as he ran his fingers through his hair. "You're the boss."

That night as Annie sat on her bed staring up at the ceiling she found her thoughts wandering the Bertholdt and his vest, as she pictured the way the fabric clung to his chest and abdomen, Annie's sense only returned to her when she began to imagine the way it would feel to press her hands against it.

"What the hell am I thinking?" Annie groaned to herself as she roughly shook her head, yet despite her best efforts she couldn't rid the thoughts from her mind. Eventually, Annie dragged herself out of bed and went into her bathroom, after splashing some cold water on her face she felt confident enough to go back to bed.

Yet as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep Annie couldn't stop herself imagining Bertholdt's warm smile and gentle grey eyes.

* * *

"You want to what?" Bertholdt gawked as he leant around the tree to face Reiner.

"I want to join the gym you work at," He shrugged in response. "Is that a problem?"

Bertholdt held his chin and hummed. "I guess not… and it'd be nice to have a friendly face at the gym."

"Oh?" Reiner cooed. "If I'm a friendly face what does that make Annie?"

"Oh shut it," Bertholdt chuckled as he reached around the tree and jabbed his friend's shoulder. "Why do you want to join anyway?"

It took a couple of minutes before Reiner could answer. "Well… It's because of you!" Reiner was thankful for the tree between them as it stopped Bertholdt from seeing the flustered look on his face. "You're supposed the smart one and I'm the strong one. Now you're becoming the strong one _and_ the smart one."

"So you want to be the stronger one?" Bertholdt asked.

"Yes!" Reiner cried. "And if you got that strong that quickly I need to get in on it."

Before he could answer Bertholdt found himself clutching his sides as he broke out laughing while Reiner explained how needed to be the strong one.

* * *

Reiner walked a step behind Bertholdt as he lead them to the gym. "So you're sure this is going to be okay?" He asked as Bertholdt raised his fist to knock on the door.

"Yeah it should be fine, it's a gym afterall." Bertholdt shrugged as he hammed the thick metal door.

Almost immediately the door flew open and Bertholdt found himself looking down at Annie who returned his grin with a small smile, a smile that faulted when she saw Reiner. "What's he doing here?"

Reiner felt a chill brush over his skin as he momentarily locked eyes with Annie. He quickly looked over to Bertholdt who answered on his behalf. "Reiner wanted to sign up to the gym, so I brought him along," The unwavering expression Annie wore suddenly planted seeds of doubt in Bertholdt's mind. "Is… is that okay?"

The air suddenly felt heavy as Annie pondered their proposal, eventually, she sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "That should be fine, if you can pay."

"I can pay!" Reiner said enthusiastically.

The tension in the air began to dissipate as Annie lead them inside, with the door shut she called out to Connie. "You follow Connie and fill out the paperwork," as Reiner followed Connie to the office she turned to face Bertholdt. "You get changed and warm up then you can help me set the ring."

"Set up the ring? Is there a fight tonight?"

"Yeah…" Annie murmured. "It's an important one tonight so hurry up and get changed so you can help me." Silently following her orders Bertholdt made his way to the changing rooms and put on a light grey vest and simple black shorts.

When he emerged he saw Annie waiting for him holding a mop and bucket. "You get the ring clean then we'll start training."

"Yes ma'am." Bertholdt chuckled with his calm smile, as he took the mop and bucket and made his way towards the ring Annie took note of the way he carried himself and the broadness of his back.

 _Did he always walk that way?_ She thought to herself as he stepped into the arena.

As Bertholdt hummed away to himself as he cleaned the arena Annie set about hanging the heavy bags to their chains, every now and again she'd find herself looking towards Bertholdt. Upon doing so she'd shake her head and get back to work, being so distracted meant she couldn't hear the footsteps coming up behind her.

"Do you need a hand with that?" Moving in a blur Annie dropped the bag and turned to face the approcher with raised fists. "Woah calm down. I just thought that looked heavy."

Annie rolled her eyes. "I can handle it, and don't you have paperwork to do?"

"I don't doubt you and I've done it all," Reiner huffed. "So do you want some help?"

The thought of lifting the heavy punching bags was not one that filled Annie with joy. "Fine," Annie said reluctantly. Reiner picked up the sacks as if they were pillows and hung them on their respective hooks. As he worked Annie let her eyes wander back to Bertholdt who was wiping the sweat from his brow. "So how long have you two known each other?"

Reiner pondered Annie's question for a minute. "We've been friends since we were little," He explained. "We hung out a lot since Bertholdt's dad was working all the time since his mum left." Reiner clamped his hand over his mouth hoping that Annie hadn't heard.

She had.

"What do you mean his mum left?"

Reiner groaned and slapped his forehead. "Imagine I didn't say that. He doesn't like to think about it, it took him years to talk about it to me."

Annie folded her arms. "Why did it take so long for him to open up?"

"Bert is the sort of guy to put on a brave face. He doesn't want to be a bother to anyone so he'll just smile and say everything is fine." The heavy tone with which Reiner spoke told Annie that he had thought about this a lot.

"You care about him a lot?"

Reiner nodded. "He's been there for me so I want to be there for him," Reiner suddenly shifted his eyes to Annie. "And that's why I want to thank you."

"For what?"

Annie's attention was so focused on Bertholdt she didn't the thin smile on Reiner's lips. "I've never seen Bertholdt so happy. When he's here he seems… happy. Like he doesn't have to worry about anything."

"You know," Annie said as she lightly punched the bag. "I think he's lucky to have someone like you."

With raised eyebrows Reiner looked down at her. "What do you mean?"

"He told me that you look out for him at school. Not many people would do that so you're a good guy, and don't worry. I won't mention his mother."

Reiner's smile grew. "Thanks shorty." Almost immediately Reiner came to regret his choice of words as Annie turned to face him with an icy glare and balled fists.

* * *

Bertholdt placed his hands on hips as he looked at his work. The previously dirty, blood stained floor was now shining in the light and the grit that clung to the metal wires now only dirtied the cloth in his hands.

"Wow," Bertholdt turned to see Annie approaching. "I haven't seen it this clean in ages," She took a moment to face Connie. "Maybe you should take some notes."

Chuckling Bertholdt scratched the back of his head. "Thanks. You said it was an important fight tonight so I wanted to make it a clean as possible."

Once again Annie felt the familiar heat building in her cheeks. "Well… now that you're done I've got an idea," Annie paused as she reached behind her and pulled out a helmet. She tossed it to Bertholdt who quickly caught it. "To see how your wasted movement works in a fight you're going to spar with Connie."

"Connie!" Bertholdt gawked. "I didn't know he could fight."

Appearing from seemingly nowhere Connie came to Annie side wearing a helmet and body armor. "I spend most of my time here, of course, I'd pick up a few moves," Connie scoffed as he walked past Annie and into the arena. "Come on."

Bertholdt cautiously followed Connie into the ring and once inside he strapped the helmet on and faced his opponent. "So I want you to focus on your kicks," Annie explained to him. "And Connie, I want you to read his movements and try to counter him."

"Got it." Connie smirked.

After taking a deep breath Bertholdt raised his fists and face Connie who mimicked his gesture.

 _Remember. Turn, rise and kick._ Bertholdt repeated to himself over and over again.

Moving as quickly as he could Bertholdt lifted his right foot and turned on his left heel, as he leg came past Connie he extended his leg. His calf collided with something hard and Bertholdt mentally praised himself only to find that Connie had blocked his kick with his own calf.

From behind the metal Bertholdt heard Annie sigh. "Try shifting your weight in your chest as you turn." Bertholdt repeated Annie's words in his head as he took a step forward and sharply turned his body. Once again his leg arced towards Connie and while he brought his leg up in defence Bertholdt was too fast.

Bertholdt's kick caught Connie in the side sending him stumbling back several steps. "Damn, you've got some strength."

"That was better. Make sure you practice with both legs." Annie explained as she made her way upstairs.

Bertholdt felt a small wave of sadness wash over him as Annie disappeared behind the door at the top of the stairs. He had hoped Annie would stay and watch him practice. "Hey eyes on the fight." Connie called out as he sent a light jab into Bertholdt's mid section.

"Sorry." Bertholdt mumbled as he returned his attention to Connie.

"Annie's still got her eye on you," Connie said as he rolled his eyes. "She's just gone to do some homework or something, but she's still watching you," Bertholdt followed Connie's hand as he pointed to one of the many-tinted windows that lined the upper half of the building. "So why don't you try to impress her." He joked as he brought his fists up.

* * *

From her desk Annie drummed her pen against her temple as she vacantly stared at the paper in front of her. After working for roughly half an hour Annie had more or less given up on finishing her homework as was instead focusing on her fight tonight.

"This is going to be a tough one. Ymir tore her opponent apart, she seems to have worked on her speed. Maybe if I focus on her legs I could slow her down enough," Annie hummed to herself as she leaned back in her chair and rubbed her eyes. "And I've still got to get Bertholdt to a point where he can fight Mike." The moment she said his name Annie found her thoughts wandering to the boy in question. She stood from her desk and looked through the one sided windows that overlooked the arena.

Down in the ring Annie could see Bertholdt repeatedly striking Connie's sides with his calfs.

"He's still wasting a lot of movement," She chuckled to herself as he evaded one of Connie's jabs, before returning with a sharp kick. "He's still trying so hard." Even with the distance between them Annie could still make out the sheen of sweat on Bertholdt's forehead as he sidestepped between Connie's attacks before returning with his own.

After a particularly strong kick Bertholdt stumbled back and fell on his back, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Connie leaned over him and looked up to the windows. Knowing exactly where Annie would be he waved to her and gestured to Bertholdt.

"Maybe a break wouldn't hurt." She said to herself as she made her way downstairs.

The moment she opened the heavy metal door at the top of the stairs Bertholdt turned his head to see her come out of the doorway. Ignoring the burning in his legs and chest he heaved himself to his feet and faced Connie with raised fists.

"Um…" Connie hummed shifting his eyes between Annie and Bertholdt. "Maybe you should take a breather."

Bertholdt firmly shook his head. "I can keep going." He huffed.

"Or," Annie said as she rolled her eyes. "You could take a break, you don't want to hurt yourself. Come on," Bertholdt followed her as she walked towards the door." I could do with the fresh air."

Looking back to Connie Bertholdt found him shrugging his shoulders. "She is your boss, you better go with."

Following orders, Bertholdt took off the helmet, wiped the sweat from his forehead and thanked Connie before chasing after Annie. Outside he found the sun well into it's decent as the sky began to show hughs of light orange. "Took you long enough." Annie chuckled. Bertholdt turned his head to see her leaning against the wall.

"I was fine to keep going you know." Bertholdt hummed.

"It's not a bad thing you know," Annie explained as Bertholdt walked beside her. "Taking a breather, it can be good for you."

Bertholdt stuffed his hands in his pockets and blew a stray strand of hair out of his face. "I just want to make sure I'm getting the most out of being here."

"To help against the bullies?" Annie asked with raised eyebrows as they slowly walked through the park.

The question filled Bertholdt's ears and mind, the answer should have been simple but when he opened his mouth to reply he found no words in his throat. "I… I guess so." He eventually deadpanned.

Annie lead the two of them to a nearby bench, when she sat down Annie tilted her head back and sighed. "You don't sound too convinced. If you want to get stronger you need to a have a reason, a real reason."

Suddenly Bertholdt felt a heat bubble up in his lungs. "It was a real reason!"

"Was?" Annie asked with her familiar tone and raised eyebrow.

"I...is. It is," Bertholdt shook his head as he corrected himself. "It's just…turns out I have more reasons to get stronger," The fire in his voice weakened with each word. "My dad needs me."

Annie thought back to what Reiner had told her earlier. _His mum left him and his dad… we have something in common I guess._ She thought to herself. "I can't imagine you being a difficult child."

Bertholdt scoffed. "I try." He chuckled.

"So why do you need to get stronger?"

"So I can help my dad," Bertholdt deadpanned. "I'm planning on getting another job so dad doesn't have to work so many hours."

"What about school?"

Once again Bertholdt scoffed. "If I drop out its a win win. I make more money for dad and I get away from those guys at school."

Annie slowly turned to face Bertholdt, he had his head resting in his hands. "I can't imagine your dad is happy about that."

Bertholdt leaned back and looked up to the orange sun as it approached the horizon. "He wants me to study so I can get into a good university."

 _That's two things we have in common._ Annie thought to herself as she suppressed a thin smile. "What does your dad do?"

Suddenly Bertholdt's face lit up with pride as he turned to face Annie. "He's a paramedic," Annie found herself basking in the warmth of Bertholdt's smile as he explained how long his dad had been working. "Since mum left he's been working loads more nights," He said with a weak smile and faded passion. Bertholdt quickly realised what he just said and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry. You probably don't want to hear about my sob stories."

"It's alright," Annie said calmly. "I… I know how you feel." Anne could hear Bertholdt's questions before he even asked them. Yet she never heard them, she turned to see him looking at her with clasped fists.

"Don't feel like you have to tell me… I… I told you because I trust you, only tell me if you trust me." It took all the confidence Bertholdt could muster to maintain eye contact with Annie as he spoke.

Annie suddenly felt a warmth spread through her veins, tightening in her chest as she looked into Bertholdt's calm smokey eyes. After what felt like an eternity she regained her sense and looked back to the sun. "My mum left as well. I was really young so I don't really remember what happened, but one day she was there and the next she wasn't."

"It's weird for the first few weeks… but after a while," Bertholdt trailed off as Annie paused to take a deep breath.

"After a while you barely remember what they were like," Annie said, returning his smile. "Thanks for not giving me the 'oh no that's terrible' crap."

Bertholdt laughed, genuinely laughed. "I know that those words mean nothing and I know you would've kicked me for saying them."

"My dad poured everything into the gym, he took out loans, started gambling all so he could pay for me to go to a good school, he's like your dad. He doesn't want me following in his footsteps."

"But?" Bertholdt questioned.

Annie scoffed. "I want to."

The two of them fell into a comfortable silence, they sat on the bench watching the sky gradually turn deeper and deeper shades of yellow, orange and red as the sun began to dip below the horizon. Both new that they would have to get back to the gym sooner or later, yet neither of them stood to leave, neither of them wanted to. Eventually, Annie sighed and reluctantly stood.

"Come on, we better get back before the come looking for us."

Bertholdt quickly followed her lead and the two of them made their way back to the gym, they arrived just as the red streaks of light began to give way to the dark blues and purples that signaled the night. As Annie opened the door a thought suddenly popped into Bertholdt's mind.

"Maybe I could help you study. That way you dad will ease off a bit."

Annie hummed as she pondered Bertholdt's proposal. "You're okay with that?" She asked as they walked through the door.

"Of course." Bertholdt nodded.

Annie tucked a stray bang of hair behind her ear as she looked to her room and smiled. "Thanks, so I guess I should invite you upstairs."

A blush crept up Bertholdt's jaw, collecting in his cheeks as he realised Annie had just invited him into her room. "Y… yeah." Bertholdt walked in silence as Anne lead him up the stairs at the back of the gym, his mind was racing with ideas as he imagined what Annie's room might be like.

 _I'm just helping her to study. Don't get any stupid ideas._ He told himself as Annie stopped outside of a plain looking door.

"I would say don't make a mess but you don't seem too clumsy." She joked. Bertholdt gave her a humorous smile just as Annie threw the door open. She reached around the wall and hit a sitch, basking the room in light.

What immediately caught Bertholdt's attention were the sheer number of medals and trophies that hung from various hooks and stood on various shelves. Upon closer inspection, he could realised that these were all Annie's awards. "Wow, Annie. I knew you were a great fighter but all these awards… you're amazing."

Annie looked to the shelves and glared at the metal accolades. "Those are from a long time ago. Anyway, you're here to help me study, not gawk at my memorabilia."

"Yes ma'am," Bertholdt said with a mock salute. "What do you need help with?"

Annie's response came in the form of a heavy stack of papers being thrust into Bertholdt's chest. Looking down at the various notes and books Bertholdt hummed. "Okay… pretty much everything, I can work with that."

* * *

After carrying Annie's notes and textbooks down stairs he laid them out in the center of the ring and when faced with the confusion on Reiner's face he simply pointed to Annie and shrugged his shoulder. Reiner gave him a sly grin and a firm thumbs up.

Doing his best to ignore his friend Bertholdt set about sorting through Annie's notes. Once there was some semblance of organization in her work Bertholdt decided to start with maths, much to Annie's despair.

"So for this problem," Bertholdt said leaning over the paper to point at the book with the end of his pencil. "You need to rearrange this equation."

Annie copied his writings and followed his instructions as best she could, whenever she found herself struggling Bertholdt was always there to ease her back on track and with his help Annie easily breezed through her work, every time she would ask for help Bertholdt would lean over and explain. The gentle nature with which Bertholdt answered each problem made Annie want to ask more and more questions, and she did.

"Do you get it then?" Bertholdt asked as he leaned back and rolled his shoulders.

Annie finished the problem she was currently working on before throwing her pencil down. "Yeah, mostly. Thank you."

With a wide, childlike smile Bertholdt looked to Annie. "I'm happy to help. Anyway," His smile faded slightly. "I better get going, it's getting pretty late."

Looking up to the clock the satisfaction in Annie's eyes also faded. "Oh yeah. You still need your rest."

"Hey, Reiner!" Bertholdt called out. "Go get changed, we don't want to be too tired for tomorrow."

Reiner peered around from his punching bag, he reached down to his phone and was shocked when he saw the time. "Yeah, good idea." He said as he jogged to the changing rooms.

With Reiner gone Bertholdt and Annie were left alone, as Bertholdt went to leave the ring Annie stopped him. "Make sure to come back tomorrow."

Once again Bertholdt mocked a salute. "Yes ma'am," He said with a smile, as he reached into his locker and pulled out his bag his expression soften. "Make sure you win tonight."

The familiar warmth in her chest arose yet again and Annie could feel her ribs tightening around her heart. "Y-yeah. I will." Annie went to reach out the Bertholdt when a familiar tone interrupted her.

"Bertholdt, you ready to go?" Both Annie and Bertholdt turned to see Reiner leaving the changing rooms.

"Yeah." Bertholdt sighed.

As the two of them left Reiner thanked Annie and waited outside for Bertholdt, telling them to 'have a moment'.

"Try not to let Ymir break your ribs and nose this time." He said with a light chuckle.

Annie almost subconsciously clasped her side. "I wouldn't want to have to call an ambulance and have your dad turn up would I?" She jested. As Bertholdt fell in line beside Reiner, Annie stood in the doorway watching them leave with a smile filled with warmth and as they disappeared into the darkness Annie realised something.

 _My cheeks are starting to hurt from smiling so much._

* * *

"You sure that's her?" hissed the voice.

Hidden in the black of night six figures slowly stalked towards the Leonhardt gym. "Absolutely." Chuckled another of the voices.

"Good," The leader growled as he pulled a large wooden bat to his side. "Let's see if Berty stands so tall when his girlfriend can't stand at all." His voice was heavy with venom as he hammered his fist against the door.

From beyond the metal door, the six hyenas could hear a light sigh. "Did you forget something?" A voice asked as the door opened.

The bullies looked down at Annie with savage smiles. "Don't look so afraid girly," One of the cackled as the girl in front of them took a step back and raised her fists.

"We're friends with Bertholdt." The leader said as he raised the bat over his head.


	15. Chapter 15

**Here we are! I'm still alive. So after the ending of the last chapter people wanted to see what happened to Annie and your wait is over! A big thanks to the support of the usual. Lyra, Scattershot, Kuchel, Ionie and Mishafer. Your reviews keep me going and thanks for all the messages wishing me good luck in my exams it means a lot. ANYWAY read on and enjoy!**

* * *

By the time he made it home Bertholdt could feel his eyelids growing heavier with every passing second, as soon as he opened the door Bertholdt dropped his bag on the floor and switched on the lights. "Dad? You here?" He asked and when there was no answer Bertholdt made his way to the kitchen and looked to the fridge. As expected he found a small note.

 _The hospital needed me to come in and work late tonight._

 _I'll be home in the morning so reheat the leftovers in the fridge._

 _Don't stay up too late._

After reading the note Bertholdt was suddenly reminded just how hungry he was when his stomach growled at the possibility of food. Opening the fridge Bertholdt smiled as the sight of the meal his father had left for him, as he waited for the oven to heat his food Bertholdt sat back and let his thought wander to Annie and their training that day.

"Maybe if I drop out of school I could spend more time at the gym," He hummed to himself before realising what he was thinking. "That's a stupid idea, you can't spend all your time with her."

 _It was really nice walking through the park with her though…_ A wide smile slowly grew across Bertholdt's lips as he remembered the feeling of having Annie at his side as they sat in the setting sun.

The sudden alarm of the oven pulled Bertholdt from his pleasant train of thoughts. As he sat down and tucked into his meal he was made away of the myriad of bruises and scars that trailed up and down Bertholdt's body, whenever he rolled his shoulders, bent his knees or even twisted his neck a dull aching spread through his muscles.

"I'm never going to get used to this pain though. I wonder if Annie still feels it." He mumbled as he sat down to eat his now steaming plate.

After finishing his meal the heaviness in Bertholdt's eyes increased tenfold as a warmth spread from his stomach. "I'm going to sleep like the dead tonight…" He sighed groggily as he slowly made his way towards his room. Once he threw the door open Bertholdt stared longingly at his bed.

"I don't need to get changed," Bertholdt told himself as he pulled the bed covers back, he was about to crawl into bed when his phone blared to life. "What now?" Bertholdt pleaded as he looked down to the caller ID. "Connie do you know what ti-"

"Bertholdt! Thank fuck you picked up," Bertholdt was instantly aware of the panic in Connie's tone. "You need to get here now. I'm sorry to ask but I need you."

Normally Bertholdt would have told him it was too late but the cold, raw panic in Connie's voice sent ice through Bertholdt's ears. "What's wrong?" He asked running out of his room.

Connie's voice was muffled as he answered. "You maybe my boss but I'm your friend so shut up and keep pressure on it. Sorry Bertholdt what?"

 _Pressure… an injury! Wait… boss? Annie!_

"Is Annie okay!?" Fear trickled through Bertholdt's veins, replacing the warmth he had been enjoying moments ago.

A painfully long silence filled the air as Bertholdt stood in the doorway, his bag hanging from his shoulder.

"Your dad is a paramedic right?" Connie asked, his voice low and somber.

Bertholdt found the words in his throat felt heavier than any weight he had lifted. "Yeah… why?"

"So you have a first aid kit at home? A good one?" Bertholdt instinctively looked to the cabinet that sat under the kitchen sink, as a child Bertholdt's father had warned him that the first aid kit under the sink was only to be used in emergencies.

"Yeah."

"Bring that as well… and hurry." Connie hung up leaving Bertholdt standing in the darkness, he stood there wanting nothing more than to move, than to run to Annie but his legs felt like they were made of lead.

 _You've got to move. Annie could be hurt. So move!_ Bertholdt ordered to his legs. Finally, he found the painful tightness in his chest releasing as he made his way into the kitchen. Never before had Bertholdt needed to use the first aid kit under the sink, whenever he or Reiner injured themselves he could fix them up with anything found in a basic kit.

Without hesitating Bertholdt reached under the sink and pulled out a heavy yellow box, with it in hand he grabbed his bag and ran out of the door into the night.

* * *

Never before and never since had Bertholdt ran as fast and as hard. The thought of Annie being hurt, more than usual, then an ice through his veins that was so cold Bertholdt could feel its sharpness in his blood.

As he sprinted through the park thoughts rushed into his mind about how this could have happened. "Did Ymir do this to her?"

 _No… Connie sounded really worried._ He thought to himself as he passed the bench he had been sitting next to Annie on mere hours earlier. Even as his legs burned and his lungs begged for rest Bertholdt kept running, ignoring his body's pleas to slow down. Knowing that Annie needed him drove him forward as he approached the gym.

As he got closer and closer to the door Bertholdt pulled out his phone and called Connie, it only took a handful of seconds for him to pick up. "Bert, you here?"

"Yeah open the door," Bertholdt huffed and hung up a second later light flooded out of the open door. "Thanks Con-" The air in Bertholdt's throat froze as he looked at the short boy. "What happened to you?"

Connie looked up at Bertholdt with his split lip and swollen eye and smiled. "I'm glad you're here." He coughed.

"W-where's Annie?"

Connie gestured for Bertholdt to follow him as he lead him inside. "She'll tell you she's fine like she's been telling me since I found her. Just ignore her and do your magic healing."

As the walked Bertholdt reached out and clasped Connie's shoulder. "You still didn't tell me what happened."

Stopping in his tracks Connie turned to face Bertholdt. "I don't even know," He eventually sighed. "I forgot my phone so I came back to get it and when I came inside I saw Annie fighting this group of guys."

The ice that had froze his veins slowly began to melt as he learned what happened. "Who were they?"

Connie ran his hand over his head and shrugged his shoulder. "I don't know, I just thought they were some rowdy customers… but when I saw one of them holding a bat I knew something wasn't right," Connie took a moment to let the horror sink in. "I fought them off best I could," He chuckled dryly. "Annie had already beaten them to a pulp."

"Where is she?" Connie opened his mouth to reply when a familiar and exhausted voice cut him off.

"I'm here and I'm fine."

Bertholdt turned on his heels to see Annie leaning against the metal cage, holding her left arm. His eyes instantly looked her up and down for any sign of injury and what he saw stole the air from his lungs. Annie's face was peppered in bruises of various size and colour, the largest of which sat under her left eye and was a deeply unsettling purple. There were red marks that trailed down her neck and across her shoulders and thanks to the shirt she was wearing Bertholdt couldn't see any further injuries across her torso or abdomen.

"Jesus Annie. What happened to you?" Bertholdt gasped as he rushed to her side.

"It doesn't matter," Annie said as she pushed herself off the cage. "I'm fine now."

Authority found its way into Bertholdt's voice as the stood to his full height. "I'll be the judge of that," He said as he held up the yellow box in his hand. "Connie can you bring me a chair, some towels and hot water."

"Yes sir," Connie laughed as he jogged off to gather Bertholdt's supplies. He quickly appeared at Bertholdt's side holding a chair which he took and thank him for before Connie went to get the towels and hot water.

Bertholdt gently sat Annie down in the chair and cupped her chin, tilting it up slightly. "Where does it hurt the most?" He asked as he inspected the marks across her neck.

For a moment Annie found herself unable to answer and the serious glare in Bertholdt's eyes filled her mind. "I-it's fine, it doesn't hurt now."

"Don't lie to me when I'm trying to help."

Annie's chest suddenly tightened as she felt the weight in Bertholdt's voice. "I… I guess it hurts around my eye."

Bertholdt quickly shifted his attention to Annie's bruised eye and cupped her cheek with one hand, with the other he gently ran his thumb across the purple swelling. "They missed your eye socket by a couple of centimeters, good luck or good blocking?" He asked as he reached into his first aid kit.

"There were six of them so… probably a mix of both. She sighed as Bertholdt pressed the cool gauze against the bruise.

As Bertholdt carefully taped the gauze to her cheek and eye he raised his eyebrow and looked around. "I haven't seen their corpses since I got here so I assume they left."

Annie soothed her neck as she broke into laughter. "They left bloody and broken don't worry, they won't be coming back."

Bertholdt's hands and jaw fell. "You fought off all six of them!?" He gawked.

"As you can tell they got more than a few good hits on me but… yeah, Connie chased them off but I fought them off." Annie shrugged as Bertholdt put on a pair of latex gloves.

With his gloves now on Bertholdt pressed his fingers against the cut on Annie's lip. "Connie told me one of them had a bat, did they hit you with it." Bertholdt's attention was so focused on Annie's lip he didn't notice when she coddled her left arm.

"No, it was a fight. He must have imagined it in the chaos."

Bertholdt hummed as the majority of attention was on the blood that was trickling from her lip. "Well," He groaned as he once again reached into the box. "Your lip will need some stitches, I've got some paper ones with me but if they don't work I'll have to use some dissolvable ones."

"You don't have to do all this, it's really late you know." Annie explained as she pulled her arm closer to her center.

"I wouldn't be able to sleep well at night if I knew I didn't help you when I could. Now hold still." Bertholdt hummed as he rummaged through his supplies, quickly facing Annie with a set of paper stitches.

Rolling her eyes Annie ran her fingers across her lip, smearing blood on her hand. "Is this really needed?"

Bertholdt looked up at Annie with a light stare. "I'm the closest thing to a doctor here. So if I say it's necessary then it is," The authority in Bertholdt's voice rippled through Annie's heart. _He really cares about me._ Annie thought to herself. "Now I'm sorry but this is going to sting." Without further warning Bertholdt pulled a bottle of antiseptic spray from his side and sprayed the cut on Annie's lip.

Hissing Annie slapped Bertholdt's hand away and cupped her bottom lip. "What was that for?"

"That," Bertholdt said as he took Annie's face in his hand and began sticking the stitches to her lip. "Was to stop you getting an infection," Happy with his work Bertholdt took his gloves off and wiped his forehead. "Where's your dad? I should tell him what happened."

All of a sudden Annie's eyes widened and panic flooded her veins. "No!"

"What do you mean no? Where is he?"

Annie slowly stood to her full height, brushing away Bertholdt's attempts to help her. "He's not here, he went away to scout new fighters. He told me he'd be back tomorrow night."

With a raised eyebrow Bertholdt looked down at Annie. "Then who was going to ref your fight against Ymir?"

As if on cue a thunderous knock boomed through the entire gym. Immediately Bertholdt, Connie and Annie turned to face the door. Bertholdt slowly turned to face Annie who had visibly tensed at the sound of the door, looking to Connie they both approached the door. As Connie reached out to open the door Bertholdt raised his fists, bent his knees and took a deep breath.

"Is anyone going to let me in?" The voice from beyond the door yawned.

Relief flooded Connie's face as he sighed. He reached out and threw open the door. "Mike! What are you doing here? Didn't you get my text?"

"Mike!" Bertholdt gasped as he found himself staring up at the giant man.

Ignoring Bertholdt, Mike turned to Connie and smiled, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "Dead, sorry. Did something happen?"

The relief that filled Connie's eyes quickly faded as he looked to Annie, Mike followed his gaze and saw Annie leaning against the cage. "You took your time Mike."

"And you look awful. Did you start the fight before I got here?"

"Something like that." Annie smirked.

Now aware of Bertholdt's presence Mike pointed to him. "Who's he?"

"Oh Bertholdt," Connie hummed. "He's our medic for the night… and your next opponent."

Mike stared at Bertholdt with great interest. "You're the guy he taught Jean some manners?" Bertholdt slowly nodded, a wide grin grew on Mike's lips as he thrust his open hand to him. "A pleasure to meet you," Bertholdt slowly and cautiously took Mike's hand who shook it firmly. "So what happened to you, Ann?"

Before he could answer for her Annie spoke up. "I fell off a ladder trying to change some of the light bulbs."

Mike momentarily narrowed his eyes before sighing. "You idiot," He whispered under his breath. "Hey Bertholdt, I'll clean this mess up, you take Annie upstairs and make sure she gets some rest."

Nodding, Bertholdt made his way over to Annie. He reached out and took her left hand. Annie immediately shrieked in pain before quickly covering her mouth. He looked down at her arm with raised eyebrows, however, upon realisation his calm eyes widened with rage. Seeing the anger swell in his expression Annie reached out and took his hand. The touch of her skin cooled Bertholdt longer enough for him to see the pleading in her own eyes.

"O...Okay." Bertholdt said as he took Annie's other hand and slowly lead her upstairs.

* * *

"Why did you lie to Mike?" Bertholdt asked as he opened Annie's door.

Annie remained silent as she reached around to turn the light on, only after sitting did she speak. "Because I don't want my dad finding out about this."

"Why would Mike tell your dad?"

A thin, almost reminiscent smile appeared on Annie's face. "Mike and my dad have been friends since they were in school, hell I was practically raised by the guy."

Bertholdt felt his jaw opening on its hinges. "Why didn't you tell me when I was watching him fight?"

Annie shrugged her shoulders. "It wasn't important at the time."

Bertholdt sighed and turned his attention to Annie's arm. "Well what's important now is telling me what happened to your arm."

"You're still in doctor mode?" Annie asked with a raised eyebrow. "It's fine, just a little bruised."

 _Remember what Connie said. One of them had a bat_.

"Annie. Did one of them have a bat?"

"I told you already, Connie was imagining it." She sighed.

"Then let me see your arm," Bertholdt replied instantly. Annie clutched at her arm, holding it as close to her as she could. "I don't want you to be in pain." Bertholdt's voice softened as he knelt to her and took her hand. "Did one of them have a bat?" Annie slowly nodded. Bertholdt had to suppress the boiling of his blood as he slowly rolled her sleeve up her arm.

What immediately caught Bertholdt's eye was the unsettling pattern of purples and blues that covered her forearm, he looked up to see Annie biting down on her shirt. _It's really swollen and tender… if she blocked a wooden bat her arm could be broken._ Bertholdt felt a weight grow in his throat as he realised the severity of the injury.

"So what's your diagnosis?" Annie chuckled weakly.

Doing his best to shift the weight in his chest Bertholdt covered Annie's arm and looked her in the eye. "I think...I think it's broken. I can patch you up but you'll need to go the hospital in the morning."

Annie looked down at her arm with wide eyes as Bertholdt reached into the box and pulled out a sling and cast. "That bad?"

"Yes it's bad. Now are you going to tell me who did this to you?"

Annie fell silent as Bertholdt carefully wrapped the cast around her arm. "I… I don't know."

Pain bloomed from her arm as she felt Bertholdt's hands tighten around her wound. "I thought you trusted me."

"If...if I'm going to tell you I need you to promise me something," Annie affirmed as she ran her hand across the cast. Bertholdt slowly nodded. "Promise me you won't tell my dad what happened and I'll tell you who did this."

It never sat right in Bertholdt's stomach knowing he would have to lie to Annie's father but the thought of not knowing who attacked her made his chest tighten. "Fine."

Annie sighed and swallowed the lump in her throat as she looked up to meet Bertholdt's eye. "I don't know who they were but… they said they were friends of yours." Before he could cool it Bertholdt could feel the blood under his skin boiling, it took him only seconds to connect the dots and he quickly came to the unavoidable truth.

"I told them to stay away from you…" He growled. "I... need to go get some painkillers for you." Bertholdt deadpanned as he made his way towards the door.

Just before he left Annie called out to him. "Remember your promise."

* * *

Bertholdt sat on the stairs with his head in his hands as he tried to ease the tightness in his chest. "I warned them to stay away from her… I told them."

"Hey," Bertholdt looked up to see Connie jogging towards him. "Is Annie okay?"

At this point, Bertholdt was too tired to lie, or even ignore him. "She has a broken arm, I've set it but she'll have to go the hospital in the morning."

Connie's mouth hung open. "They broke her arm!?"

Bertholdt slowly nodded as he clenched his fists. "It isn't a bad break but it'll need an X-ray to be sure."

"Those bastards!" Connie roared kicking the metal fencing of the ring. "I swear if I ever see them again I'll…"

"You'll what?" Both Connie and Bertholdt turned to see Mike carrying a large punching bag on his shoulder.

Connie scratched the back of his head and chuckled dryly. "I… I will tell them off and call the police, sir."

Bertholdt looked between the two of them before settling his eyes on Mike. "You know what happened?"

After hanging up the bag Mike rolled his arms and made his way over to the both of them. "If you've known Annie for any period of time you'll realise she's an awful liar. The only one who doesn't get it is her dad," He chuckled. "So is she okay?"

"Yeah, she'll be okay," Bertholdt moaned as he stood. "Are you going to tell her dad?"

Mike shook his head. "I came to ref the fight, I didn't come here to deal with this and besides, if Annie doesn't want him to know then she'll have to deal with the consequences."

"Do you think that's a good idea?"

"If Ann wants to lie to her father that's her mistake, and she'll have to learn from it."

For a moment Bertholdt was taken back, he didn't realise that by telling Annie's father it wouldn't stop her from lying to him in the future. "You really care about her."

Mike scoffed. "Of I do. I've looked after her since she could walk, and speaking of caring for her," He said as he walked to Bertholdt and rested a hand on his shoulder. "So do you."

"W-what do you mean?" Bertholdt stuttered.

Rolling his eyes Mike escorted him to the arena. "Not many people would sprint here in the middle of the night just to see if she was okay. The fact you did shows you obviously care about her."

Bertholdt didn't realise it but he was fiddling with his fingers as Mike laid out his feelings in front of him. "I just… like her."

"Well it's good you admit it but right now I want to deal with that menacing look in your eye," Mike said as he threw a pair of gloves to Bertholdt who picked them out of the air. "Put them on, you need to spar a bit."

Once he strapped the gloves on Bertholdt looked to Mike to see him standing with his guard raised.

 _This is a good chance to measure his strength._ Bertholdt thought to himself as he threw a light jab. His fist connected with Mike's forearm and Bertholdt gasped. _It feels like I'm punching a rock._

"Didn't Annie teach you to punch properly? Come at me!" Mike said with a new weight to his voice.

The sudden authority in Mike's voice shocked Bertholdt causing him to launch a much stronger hook into the side of his opponent's guard. This time Mike took a step to the side and grinned.

"That's better. Come on, use this to let off some steam."

Only now did Bertholdt realise what Mike was getting at, with each strike Bertholdt put more and more strength into his strikes until he was launching his fists with every ounce of strength he had.

Mike withstood Bertholdt's strikes with ease, at any moment he could end this fight but he could tell he needed this. _Just let it out._ Mike thought to himself. Eventually Bertholdt's arms began to burn and ache forcing him to lower his guard, Mike responded by delivering a lightning quick jab to Bertholdt's face.

"Never lower your guard in a fight."

Bertholdt wiped the sweat from his brow. "I get why we're doing this but this isn't going to change how I feel." He said with absolute confidence.

"Look," Mike sighed as he beckoned for Bertholdt to raise his guard. "I get your angry and so am I but we're fighters. We only fight in the ring. Outside of the ring we never raise our fists."

"You obviously don't care about Annie that much then if you don't want to find the people that did this to her." Bertholdt said before he could stop the words from leaving his mouth.

Mike's response came in the form of narrowed eyes and a powerful strike to Bertholdt's guard. His fists broke straight through Bertholdt's defence sending him reeling. "Of course I care about her. I'm just not dumb enough to lower myself to their level," Mike growled as Bertholdt coddled his jaw. "Outside of here, I'm a damn teacher. I started coming here when my pupils pissed me off."

"I'm… I'm sorry, I didn't mean what I said," Bertholdt said as he got to his feet and raised his guard.

Mike gave him a small smile which Bertholdt quickly returned. "I understand how you feel and that's why we're doing this," He explained as he shot two jabs towards Bertholdt who quickly weaved between them. "You let your anger out, and then you let it go."

"Thanks Mike." Bertholdt chuckled.

Don't thank me just yet," Mike cooed as he rushed forward and plunged a rapid series of punches into Bertholdt's side. "I'm not going to go easy on you."

As Bertholdt and Mike continued to trade blows Annie stood from her bed and watched from her window with a wide smile on face. She traced her fingers across the cast on her arm thinking of the way Bertholdt ran to her in the middle of the night. "He really isn't that bad," She sighed to herself. "I almost don't want him to leave." Annie didn't realise she was reaching for her phone.

* * *

After more than an hour of sparring Bertholdt's eventually surcame to the burning in his legs and chest. Mike stood over him and stretched his arms over his head. "You're actually pretty good."

"Coming from you…" Bertholdt huffed. "That means a lot."

Mike barked a short laugh. "You should see my wife fight, she's on another level. Now that I think about it she fought in this season," He hummed. "Did you see Nanaba fight?"

"Nanaba? No, I didn't see her fight," Bertholdt paused to laugh. "I did see the black eye she gave Annie."

Clutching his sides Mike rested against the side of the cage. "Yeah, she spent a whole year learning boxing to try and beat Annie. In fact, that's how we met."

"You met as opponents?"

"Yeah," Mike chuckled as he looked off into the distance. "She beat me the first time we fought. So we made a bet and if I won a match against her she would give me her number. I spent the next year learning kickboxing just so I could get her number and two years later we got married."

"Wow," Bertholdt gawked as his eyes wandered to Annie's window. "That's amazing."

"So enough about my romantic life. How about you and Annie? You like her right?" Mike jested as he jabbed Bertholdt's side.

"It's just a little crush." Bertholdt muttered.

Mike rolled his eyes. "A little crush that made you run here in the middle of the night."

Bertholdt sighed in defeat. "Okay. A big crush."

"I take it you haven't told her," Bertholdt nodded. "It's okay, but you better hurry before someone else gets there before you."

"S...someone else?" Bertholdt stuttered with wide eyes.

Mike smirked. "Yeah, she spends a lot of time with this boy, Eren at school. They're even in the same club.

"Oh…" Bertholdt sighed in defeat. "Well it makes sense, she is pretty amazing."

Mike threw his arms in the air. "And that's why you have to tell her! You're good for her, I can just tell. You seem like a decent person and those are hard to come by sometimes so Annie would be lucky to end up with you at her side."

"You really think that?" Bertholdt asked as he chest swelled.

With a simple nod Bertholdt looked back up to Annie's window with a newfound sense of confidence. _Maybe...maybe I could tell her how I feel._ He thought to himself and Mike stood and yawned.

"I would say its getting late but it already is. I could give you a lift home if you wanted." Mike said gesturing to the door.

Bertholdt smiled and shook his head. "Thanks but I better stay here, just in case Annie does something stupid and tries to change another light bulb." He joked.

With a deep laugh Mike made his way towards to changing rooms leaving Bertholdt sat in the ring with his thoughts and bruises. As the feeling slowly returned to his legs and arms Bertholdt convinced himself to stand despite the aches and pains in every one of his muscles. As he made his way out of the arena he saw Connie leaning against the lockers.

"I hear you wanna stay the night?"

"Is that okay? I just wanna make sure Annie will be okay overnight." Bertholdt explained.

Connie walked up to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "Of course it is but I didn't expect you to be moving forward so quickly with Annie."

Bertholdt threw Connie's arm away and shook his head. "You sound like Reiner."

"Good minds think alike," Connie shrugged. "Anyway there's a spare room upstairs."

After thanking him Bertholdt made his way into the showers where he quickly washed away the sweat from his forehead and the blood from the numerous cuts Mike had given. While brief his muscles relaxed under the drumming of the hot water and Bertholdt could have happily fallen asleep in the shower if the prospect of a warm bed hadn't been so attractive. Once he reluctantly turned to the shower off he lazily dried his hair and yawned as he made his way upstairs.

He considered checking in on Annie but when he saw the lights in her room were off he shrugged his shoulders. "I guess she's asleep." Bertholdt said to himself with a small smile. It didn't take him long to find the room Connie had told him about, when he opened the door he didn't bother turning the lights on, instead he stumbled towards the bed and just before he fell asleep Bertholdt remembered Mike's words.

"Let your anger out… then let it go." He mumbled before falling into a deep sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

**Welcome to chapter 16! I want to say that this chapter is for Legendary Brony who I want to thank for their PM that really helped me through his chapter. Also once again thank you to everyone that has reviwed, followed and favourited this story, it really means a lot to me and please if you have any suggestions please leave a review or PM me. I'd love to hear from you!**

 **Read on and enjoy!**

* * *

The next morning Bertholdt was woken by a firm knocking on the door, his eyes shot open as the knocking rang through the room. "Y… yeah."

"If you don't want to be late you better hurry," It was oddly surreal for Annie's voice to be the first thing Bertholdt heard in the morning. "Get ready and I'll meet you in the kitchen."

"Thanks," Bertholdt groaned as he wiped his eyes, he slowly stood and combed his fingers through his hair doing his best to wake up. "I hate late nights." He moaned as he stretched his arms over his head and yawned, now fully awake Bertholdt opened the door, now in the corridor, Bertholdt realised he didn't know where the kitchen was.

Looking around Bertholdt made his way towards the stairs. _Idiot. Why would there be kitchen downstairs in the gym?_ He thought to himself as he turned around, only to see Annie standing in the corridor with her uninjured hand on her hip.

"Sorry, I forgot you didn't know where it was. Follow me," Annie said with a smirk. With a sigh of relief Bertholdt followed her down the corridor, as they walked he took the opportunity to look around Annie's home. It didn't take her long to acknowledge her guest's curiosity. "When my dad bought this place he built this whole upstairs area to be a home for us."

"Never far from work I guess." Bertholdt chuckled as Annie lead him into the small kitchen.

Annie went quiet as she filled a kettle with water. "Of course he buried us in debt buying this place. Why do you think he wants me to study and move away?" She eventually explained. "Tea or coffee?"

"Tea, please."

"Sugar?" Bertholdt shook his head and Annie returned her attention back to the now boiling kettle.

A gentle silence fell on the two of them as Annie set about making breakfast, however with one functioning arm it was immensely frustrating for her and with each spill of the milk, or dropped spoon Bertholdt became more and more aware of her plight. Eventually he stood and made his way over to her.

"Let me help." He offered as he picked up a spoon.

Annie put down the milk in her hand and snatched the spoon from him. "I don't need your help."

"You don't, but that tea does," He chuckled as he reached around her. "Go sit down, I'll finish this." With a resounding sigh Annie sat down and coddled her arm.

"I've got a broken arm, I can still make breakfast."

Bertholdt kept his focus on the cups in his hands as he placed them on the table. "I know, but I do need to go to school at some point. And you need to get to the hospital."

"You're not in doctor mode now. I don't have to listen to you." She jested taking the cup in her hand.

With a stern look Bertholdt sat next to her. "No I'm not a doctor," His expression quickly softened, replaced by a large smile. "I do however care for you and I want to see you fighting Levi with two functioning arms."

"Yeah, well you might have to wait until next season." Annie sighed.

Bertholdt's smile faded. "What do you mean?"

"I couldn't fight so I had to forfeit," She shrugged. "In fact this season was probably my last shot at winning, after this year I'll have to go to university." Bertholdt was almost happy at the prospect of not having to see Annie bloody and beaten but he knew that she belonged in the arena.

"What are you going to study?" Bertholdt asked.

Annie shrugged her shoulders. "Dad wants me to study something like law or something," She sighed. "Anything that'll get me a decent pay cheque basically."

After finishing his drink Bertholdt put his cup in the small sink and looked to Annie. "And what do you want to do?"

Resting her head on his hands Annie hummed and let her eyes wander as she thought about Bertholdt's question, she was about to answer when she saw the time. "I want you to get to school on time." Bertholdt's brow furrowed as he followed her eyes to the clock and upon seeing the time his jaw hinged open.

"I'm going to be so late!" He shrieked as he rushed out of the kitchen and down the stairs, Annie followed him, stifling a giggle as she watched Bertholdt frantically gather his things. It only took a handful of minutes before Bertholdt was ready to go, as he approached the door he turned back to Annie was walking behind him.

"You sure you have everything? Annie asked.

Bertholdt looked at his bag and hummed. "I left my first aid kid and couple of clothes, sorry."

"It's okay," Annie said waving her hand. "I'll wash up your clothes and give them to you tonight." She explained.

"Well, make sure you get to the doctors at some point today." Bertholdt said.

Annie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah now hurry up and get to school… I'll see you tonight right?"

With a wide smile, Bertholdt nodded. "Of course."

* * *

"Ah Mr Hoover," The teacher cooed as Bertholdt sprinted towards the front gate. "Thank you for gracing us with your presence… twenty minutes late."

Before answering Bertholdt placed his hands on his knees and took several deep breaths to soothe the burning in his lungs. "I'm… sorry sir," He huffed. "Something happened last night."

The teacher appeared unimpressed with Bertholdt's excuse as he scribbled something down on his clipboard. "You're a fantastic student but recently your attendance and… sleeping patterns have been worrying us."

Bertholdt felt his cheeks flush as he remembered being woken by his teacher in the middle of class. "I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

Just as Bertholdt went to go inside his teacher stopped him. "I understand your family situation is… difficult, if there is anything we could do to help please let us know." Bertholdt smiled nodded before walking away.

 _Looking after your pupils while they're at school would be a good start._ Bertholdt thought to himself as he approached his classroom. Once inside his eyes immediately locked onto to the pack of bullies in their corner of the room, normally Bertholdt would avoid eye contact at all costs but the sight of their black eyes, swollen lips and bruised limbs captivated him, something about the fact that Annie did this to them alone made his heart swell. One of the hyenas quickly noticed Bertholdt's staring and alerted the leader.

"What are you looking at lanky?" He hissed. Despite the fact that Annie had beaten them to a pulp Bertholdt couldn't help but think to the injuries Annie had sustained and without realising it he had balled his fists. Much to the joy of the bullies. "Oh did you see what we did to your little girlfriend?" Heat immediately bubbled up in Bertholdt's veins as he tightened his fists. "I'll give you this, she was a tough one but in the end, she bleeds like everyone else." The boiling in Bertholdt's blood reached an unbearable level, he turned to make his way to them when Mike's words echoed in his ears.

 _Let your anger out, then let it go._ Bertholdt repeated it over and over again in an attempt to cool his head. _I let it out last night… now I have to let it go._ After taking a deep breath he looked at them and sighed.

"Yeah, you look like you bleed a lot as well, I can't believe a single person managed to kick all your asses."

The twisted smiles and venomous cackles disappeared as for the first time Bertholdt spoke down to them. Not wanting to be shown up in front of the class the shortest of the pack stood up and met Bertholdt's eye. "If us six could do that to one fighter what could we do to you?"

Not even phased Bertholdt leaned down to his height. "Would you like to fight in your state?" He whispered pointing to his badly bruised cheek, Bertholdt also let his eyes scan over the boy's arms and legs. "And judging by the way you're holding yourself Annie probably bruised your ribs. It wouldn't be too difficult for me to break them." Never before had Bertholdt spoken with such ice and malice but the effect was immediate.

The shorter boy that had stood up to Bertholdt instantly took two steps back and turned to look at his leader for support. Stepping past him the leader of the hyenas met Bertholdt's steely gaze with equal levels of ice. "Look at this guys," He said never breaking eye contact. "This is what it looks like when someone needs to learn some manners."

"Didn't Annie teach you some manners last night?" Bertholdt interrupted.

The boy scoffed. "Thing is… Annie isn't here." With that the pack left the room leaving Bertholdt alone. When he was sure they were gone he slumped down in his seat and wiped the sweat from his brow. And as the boiling in his blood subsided a thin smile spread across his lips. "I can't believe I did that." He said to himself.

Bertholdt was so engrossed with his achievement he didn't notice Reiner taking his seat in front of him until he leaned back and flicked Bertholdt's forehead. "Off in dreamland?" He chuckled.

Bertholdt shook his head and focused on Reiner. "Oh sorry, I was completely out of it."

"That's okay," Reiner chuckled. "Were you thinking about Annie by any chance?"

"Oh very funny," Bertholdt said as he threw a light jab into Reiner's shoulder.

"Speaking of which," Reiner said with a smug expression. "How are things with Annie?"

A familiar heat flushed in Bertholdt's cheeks as he quickly turned his head to look out of the window. "She's… fine." He mumbled fiddling with a strand of his oak hair.

"That's not what I was asking," Reiner cackled. "How are _things_ with Annie?" He repeated with great emphasis on _things._

Bertholdt quickly understood the meaning of Reiner's words, narrowed eyes and thin smile. "I keep telling you! It's… it's not like that."

"Yeah, yeah," Reiner sighed as he rolled his eyes. "I saw you looking at her when you were practicing.

"I was just watching her moves," Bertholdt insisted. "It was for practise."

As the teacher walked into the room Reiner sighed, frustrated and just before the lesson began he turned around one more time to face his friend. "You can deny it until you're blue in the face but I know you like her." He chuckled.

* * *

Bertholdt struggled to keep his eyes open as the teacher stood at the front of the class, lecturing a subject he should have been paying attention to. No matter how hard he tried to focus he couldn't fight the weight of his eyelids. Dozing off for only a minute Bertholdt found himself dreaming of events that unfolded last night. Despite the near constant echoing of MIke's calming words Bertholdt found an all too familiar heat burning under his skin, in his albeit short dream he saw the bullies gathered around Annie as she fought them off with everything she had, he could hear every bone-bruising strike and pain filled roar. But it wasn't enough and as one of them rose a thick wooden bat over their head Bertholdt's eyes shot open.

Clutching at his chest Bertholdt's eyes darted across the room trying to find Annie, trying to find the people who were attacking her. _Calm down… you're in class._ Taking a long, shaky breath Bertholdt wiped the light sweat that broke out across his forehead. The teacher was still standing at the front of class and much to Bertholdt's relief he hadn't noticed his brief nap.

Afraid of falling into another painfully vivid nightmare, Bertholdt made sure not to fall asleep for the rest of the lesson. By the time the bell finally sounded Bertholdt was the first to get to his feet and leave without a word to Reiner.

Bertholdt silently made his way to the changing rooms, rubbing his eyes all the way trying to fight the exhaustion that racked his body. Knowing that the bullies would undoubtedly be waiting for him to get changed he took a deep breath before opening the door.

Finding his way to his corner Bertholdt did the best he could to ignore the goading laughs and venomous comments. _I let it out, now I have to let it go._ He repeated to himself as he pulled his shirt over his head much to the joy of the hyenas.

"Good idea," One of the scoffed. "Get changed before Reiner gets here."

Normally he would ignore them with gritted teeth, but the fact they mentioned Reiner caught Bertholdt's attention.

The rest of the pack quickly picked up on the tone of their companion. "Yeah don't want that fag watching you get changed." He hissed to a cheer of laughs.

Bertholdt froze and slowly craned his head around. "What did you say?" He growled with tightly balled fists.

Grins spread across the pack as Bertholdt approached them. "Just thought it was a good idea. Who'd want that faggot watching you change?" The shortest boy shrugged.

"Speaking of which," The leader cooed, "Is he jealous of all those bruises that Annie gave you?" He asked gesturing to the purple marks that dotted Bertholdt's torso and abdomen. "Or did Reiner give them to you behind that tree you always go to at lunch?"

The cool tones of Mike's voice become drowned in the boiling heat that coursed through his veins.

"You know what?" The tallest boy asked. "You hit her arm pretty hard right?" The leader nodded. "I doubt she could stop us with only one arm, maybe we should go pay her another visit," The weight in his voice was met with sick cheers and roars. "And what are you going to do to stop us? Gonna go cry to your faggot friend Reiner?"

"How do you know about that?" Bertholdt asked with a voice void of feeling.

The taller boy was almost on level with Bertholdt as he stormed up to him and met his eye. "We just had a long talk with Marco," He whispered with great emphasis on the length of the 'conversation'. "He told us everything about Reiner and how he likes to take it," He hissed. "Maybe I'll ask Annie how she likes to take-" The boy was cut off by a fist that was launched into his cheek.

The strength of Bertholdt's strike sent him reeling to the side, he caught himself on the wall and slowly pulled himself up. "What the-" Once again Bertholdt didn't let him finish as he swung his leg around into the boy's side. Bertholdt took a sharp breath and raised his fists as the other boys got over their initial shock and rushed him.

As the first attacker approached him Bertholdt stepped forward and threw a punch straight into the boy's face, taking only a moment to wince at the pain. _It hurts so much without the gloves!_ He was so taken back by the pain in his fist that he didn't see the short boy tackle him against the wall. The impact against the stone wall sent blurs across Bertholdt's vision, it took the beating of the short boy's fists against his side for Bertholdt to focus on the fight.

Wrapping his arms under his chest Bertholdt threw him with all his strength against the wall, with a bruising thud he crumpled to the floor only for Bertholdt to being his foot crashing down on his sides. Seconds later a fist was driven into his cheek as the other hyenas gathered around him.

Punches and kicks rained down on Bertholdt as he brought his guard closer to his face. He was quickly driven back against the wall, waiting for an opening. Eventually the attacks grew slow and weak allowing Bertholdt to counter.

The moment Bertholdt saw a delay in their attacks he launched a lightning-like series of strikes into the chests of his attackers. Each of his punches was stronger than the last as the burning in his blood boiled to even higher temperatures, as he lost himself in the fight he became unaware of the taller boy who had gotten to his feet and has made his way to the fight.

Bertholdt saw the fist just before it connected with the side of his head. Stars flashed across his vision as he felt his body go limp, the punches and kicks that followed sent pain blooming through his body and as their relentless assault continued Bertholdt could only weakly raise his arms in a pathetic form of defence.

After what felt like an hour Bertholdt heard a familiar voice pierced the beating and howling. "Bertholdt!" Reiner roared as he charged the pack of hyenas.

Reiner charge caught one of the boys who was raising his foot down on Bertholdt's head, with his immense weight and strength Reiner easily pinned him against the wall.

Knowing that his friend was at his side Bertholdt felt strength course through his veins and with one less attacker he slowly got to feet and reaffirmed his stance. "Not going to give up?" One of them hissed as the sent a lazy punch towards his midsection.

"Annie's punches are way faster," Bertholdt growled as he dodged to the side. "And stronger." He added as he plunged his fist into the hyena's midsection. The boy immediately doubled over and fell to his knees allowing Bertholdt to focus on the others. Doing his best to ignore the pain that spread from his rapidly forming bruises Bertholdt brought his fists to his head and took a sharp breath.

Bertholdt was still feeling woozy after the barrage of blows he had endured moments ago, yet his guard remained strong as he blocked, dodged and countered. With the wall at his back, Bertholdt threw a heavy punch towards the leader who had stepped towards him to deliver a strike of his own. Just before his fist connected Bertholdt ducked to the side and launched his punch with all the strength he could muster.

The leader's fist flew past Bertholdt's cheek grazing it slightly. Bertholdt's fist however connected square in his opponent's face. He felt something snap under the immense pressure, whether it was his knuckles or the hyena's nose it didn't matter, all that mattered was that Bertholdt had made an opening.

Not even pausing to wipe the blood from his knuckles Bertholdt stepped forward and delivered another powerful blow to the side of his face that sent him toppling. Taking only a moment to breath Bertholdt took another step forward and poured all of his weight into a hook that struck him as he was falling. Only now did Bertholdt let him collapse on the ground.

Before continuing the assault.

Bertholdt pounced on him straddling him at the waist and unleashing a flurry of quick strikes to his head and chest. The other boys simply watched in horror as their leader was beaten until Bertholdt's lungs begged for oxygen. Stopping on to breathe Bertholt leaned down to until he could smell the coppery blood on the hyena's broken face.

"You stay away from Marco," Bertholdt growled. "You stay away from Reiner," He huffed raising his fist once more. "You stay away from Annie," He said with wide eyes and a voice dripping with poison. "And you stay away from me." Bertholdt launched his fist into the stone beside his face and without letting the pain even register he stood, only to see his horrified teacher standing in the doorway.

* * *

Bertholdt sat down in the headmaster's office and winced at the sting of the antiseptic gauze against his lip. Since being dragged from the changing room Bertholdt hadn't said a word, not even when they told him his father had been called. He just sat in the office waiting for his punishment.

Only when the door opened did Bertholdt raise his head as the headmaster walked in and took his seat. "Bertholdt. Would you like to explain what happened before your father gets here?"

"Sir. They provoked me." Was all Bertholdt said.

The headmaster slammed his hands down on the desk. "And that is an excuse to beat your fellow students!?" Taking a deep breath he leaned back in his chair and sighed. "You are an exceptionally bright student but that does not excuse your actions."

Just as Bertholdt opened his mouth to reply the door opened once again, this time revealing Bertholdt's father.

"I came as soon as I could," He explained taking a seat next to his son. Bertholdt looked over to his father. _He's got bags under his eyes, I bet he just woke up._ He thought to himself. "Is… is something wrong?"

"I'm afraid there is Mr Hoover. Your son was involved in a fight," The headmaster paused long enough to let this shock register.

"T-that can't be right. Bertholdt wouldn't hurt a fly."

Clearing his throat the headmaster gestured to the purple marks on Bertholdt's lip and around his eyes. "Along with Reiner Braun, he broke the nose of one of my best students and nearly cracked the ribs of another."

Bertholdt closed his eyes as his father turned to him. "Is this true Bertholdt? It is true?" The pain and betrayal in his father's voice made his heart ache.

"It unfortunately is. Now Bertholdt is an incredibly clever student but we cannot tolerate violence in our school."

"What will happen to him?"

"Bertholdt and Reiner will both have to be expelled from the school." Bertholdt lowered his head as his headmaster explained what will happen to both him and Reiner. Only a single thought occupied his mind as his father lead him out of the room and past Reiner how was waiting with his parents.

 _I've made a horrible mistake. Sorry Mike._


	17. Chapter 17

**Welcome back to chapter 17! Once again thank you for the continued support from everyone who follows, favourites, reviews and just reads. Anyway please let me know what you think and read on!**

* * *

The car journey back was painfully silent, neither Bertholdt or his father said a word as they drove home. Bertholdt simply rested his head in his hands, waiting for the certainly uncomfortable conversation he'd be having upon arrival. He looked up for only moment to see the set jawline of his normally so peaceful looking father, it made him think of what Reiner must going through.

 _His parents are so much stricter. If they found out about Marco they'd go crazy._ Bertholdt thought to himself as he got out of the car.

Yet again, the walk up the many flights of stairs was silent but Bertholdt could feel the anger radiating from his father. Only when the door closed behind them did he speak.

"What the hell were you thinking?" He shouted. "Didn't I raise you to be a better person than that?"

With balled fists, Bertholdt met his father's eyes. "They provoked me."

Not waiting to take even a second to breathe his father stepped towards him. "Did they lay a hand on you? Did they touch you before you attacked them?" Bertholdt slowly shook his head. "Then why did you attack them? You just lowered yourself to their level!"

"And what was I supposed to do?" Bertholdt shouted. "Was I just supposed to take it and let them do whatever they wanted to Marco, Reiner and me?" It was an incredibly rare occurrence for Bertholdt to raise his voice, especially to his father. To shocked to speak Bertholdt's father turned his back and walked into the kitchen, his son not far behind.

"You weren't supposed to retaliate and break their bones!"

Without realising it Bertholdt reached to his face and brushed his fingers against the bruises on his cheeks. "After what they did to Annie… they deserved it." He whispered under his breath.

Rubbing his temples Bertholdt followed his father's gesture to sit down. "I'll take a look at those bruises and that eye," He sighed while reaching under the sink to get the first aid kit. Bertholdt felt his stomach turn when he realised that the first aid kit was still with Annie. When his hands grasped air Bertholdt's father stood and looked to his son who refused to meet his gaze. "Where is the first aid kit?"

"I… I needed to use it. So I took it."

"Why did you need it? Who did you need it for?"

Bertholdt swallowed the lump in his throat and took a deep breath. "There is a girl at the gym where I work, she… she was attacked by the people that… provoked me. So I went there last night to look after her."

"What sort of gym is this if people just walk in and attack each other? If you think you're going there again you're wrong."

Instantly Bertholdt got his feet, his eyes wide with panic. "No! I need to be there."

"No. You need to be here studying, while I sort out what school you're going to. And once I'm done with that I have to go to work! So thank you for making my life that much harder." His father roared.

"That's all you do," Bertholdt retorted. "Work. Night shift, morning shift. When was the last time we had dinner together?" Opening his mouth to reply Bertholdt Hoover's father found he couldn't remember the last time he and his son sat around the same table together to share a meal. "Yeah, I can't remember either."

Any anger left in the man quickly evaporated as his eyes began to water. "I'm sorry. Since your mother left I haven't been the father you deserve. I-" The rest of his sentence was cut off by Bertholdt pulling him into a tight hug.

"That isn't what I meant," Bertholdt whispered. "I know you work hard and it's good work. I'm proud to call you my dad. It's just since mum left I've had to grow up my own way."

"But you shouldn't have to."

Chuckling dryly Bertholdt answered. "But I have. And part of that was me not letting those people get away with what they said to Reiner and did to Annie."

"Don't think I'm not still angry at you for that. Because I am."

* * *

Bertholdt stared up at the ceiling of his room, after saying goodnight to his father he immediately headed to his room. Sighing he looked over to his clock.

"It's half six. Better let Annie I won't be training tonight." He said as he reached for his phone. After typing and sending his excuse Bertholdt stretched his arms over his head and yawned. Wincing at the various aches and pain in his shoulders Bertholdt chuckled as he lifted his shirt over his head.

"I guess I've earned an early night tonight." And despite the arguments, bruises and consequences, Bertholdt fell asleep that night with a chest swollen with pride knowing that he had not only stood up for himself but Reiner, Marco and all the other victims of the hyenas.

* * *

That Bertholdt found himself, as usual, dreaming of Annie. Perhaps it was the new found sense of confidence or just sheer exhaustion but in his dream, Bertholdt had taken Annie's hands in his own and held them gently.

"I'm sorry it's taken me this long to say this but…" He mumbled.

Annie's crystal blue eyes found his and she took a step towards him. "Took you so long to say what?" She asked.

Feeling his heart pounding in his chest Bertholdt mustered all the courage he could. "To tell you that I lo-"

Bertholdt was jolted awake by the sound of his phone ringing, wishing he could simply ignore the incessant noise and fall back into his angelic dream. Curing loudly Bertholdt wiped his eyes and reached over to his phone, squinting at the sudden bright light Bertholdt could just make out the caller ID.

 _Reiner:_

Propping himself up against the bed Bertholdt yawned before answering.

"Hey, you do realise it's almost two in the morning?" Bertholdt sighed.

"Yeah, sorry. I only just managed to get my phone back and I needed to talk to you." Reiner chuckled.

Despite the dry humorous tone of his voice Bertholdt could undoubtedly hear anxiety. "Of course, anytime. What's wrong?"

"Oh just wanted to know why my pacifist of a best friend suddenly decided to beat the life out of some horrible individuals? Nothing major." This time it was Bertholdt who found himself laughing.

"I'm sorry I dragged you into this Reiner. They just said something that tipped me over the edge."

With a curious pause, Reiner hummed. "What did they say? It must have been pretty bad to set you off like that."

Bertholdt went to reply but found the words stuck in his throat, after taking a deep breath he spoke. "They found out about you."

The pause that followed was heavy as Reiner let his phone drop to his side, only after rubbing his temples did he bring his phone back to his ear. "H-how did they find out?"

Not wanting to cause Reiner the pain of waiting Bertholdt answered immediately. "They said they had a talk with Marco. But I guess we know what that means."

"Marco told them?" The shock in Reiner's voice was something Bertholdt had never heard, and it worried him. "Why would he do that? I… I thought we trusted each other."

"Reiner, I doubt he had much of choice. You know what those guys are like."

"Yeah. I guess," Bertholdt wasn't convinced in the slightest that Reiner had listened to him but he didn't want to press the subject too hard. "What school do you reckon we'll go to?"

Thankful for the change of subject Reiner hummed. "I'm not sure, I heard my parents talking about Stohess high. Do you know anyone there?"

Taking a moment to ponder his question Bertholdt rubbed his temples. "No I don't. I've never been around there before."

"Well we will be in a couple days," Reiner scoffed. "What do you think it'll be like?"

Bertholdt hummed. "Anywhere where I don't have to be constantly looking over my back would be nice," Reiner snorted. "I wouldn't mind finding a decent club."

Excitedly Reiner answered. "Yeah! Maybe we could find one together? You never really liked track and field."

"You know me so well," Bertholdt huffed. "Although I would just like to finish school without anymore…"

"Events?" Reiner interrupted.

Bertholdt responded with a short, sharp laugh. "Yeah, you could call it that. What are you doing tomorrow then?"

A loud moan came down the phone. "I have to study, dad won't even let me leave the house unless I get loads of work done." Reiner groaned.

"If you wanted I could come over and help. It feels like ages since we hung out." Bertholdt suggested.

"Homework sounds like hanging out to you?" Reiner chuckled. "But thanks, I'd appreciate the company," Bertholdt opened his mouth to to ask what time he should come around but all that came out was a long yawn. "Keeping you up?"

Bertholdt rolled his eyes. "It is the middle of the night."

"Yeah. You have a point. Goodnight Berty, I hope Annie is in your dreams." Reiner cooed before quickly hanging up.

Laughing as he lay back down Bertholdt took a moment to see if Annie had replied.

"Hm. Nothing. She must be busy, I hope she got her arm checked out." Bertholdt mumbled as he pulled the covers over his head.

* * *

There were no dreams of confessions or Annie that night. Bertholdt slept in a dreamless sleep that night.

Waking up Bertholdt checked his phone and once again found no reply from Annie. "Did she not get my message?" He asked as he typed as new text.

 _Is everything okay? How is your arm?_ It read, after sending the message Bertholdt ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head in an attempt to wake himself up. Looking at the time he was almost glad he didn't have a school to go to.

"I wonder what's wrong with Annie?" Bertholdt hummed as he headed to the shower, running the hot water through his hair Bertholdt found his thoughts once again wondering to Annie and her arm. "Something must have happened to her," He said himself as he poured the water over his bruises. "Maybe I should check up on her later… although Annie doesn't seem like the type to like surprises." Bertholdt chuckled as he leant against the shower wall.

Reluctantly turning the shower off Bertholdt dried his hair with his towel and yawned as he made his way into his room. Bertholdt had become attuned to the dull aches and pains that flared from his joints whenever he moved, at first he would wince or groan but as he looked down to his well-toned chest and abdomen he found himself smiling.

"I guess I should thank Annie for all these," He chuckled running his fingers over the bruises. "She's helped me so much the past couple months. She really is amazing." Now alone Bertholdt allowed himself to indulge the tightness in his chest and the red in his cheeks. As he dried his body Bertholdt to what it was like to train with Annie and found his cheeks flushing in reaction.

"She's so quick I can barely keep track of her punches," Bertholdt smirked as he pulled a shirt over his head. "And her golden hair," He sighed. "It shines when she goes into strike," Bertholdt surely would have died of embarrassment if anyone had walked in and seen him swooning. "And it doesn't even matter she's short! She could throw me over her shoulder like a sack of flour," Only when he thought to the countless jogs and runs through the park did his expression soften. "And she can be so kind, under it all, her singing is just beautiful as well. I wonder what her other hobbies are?" Bertholdt hummed. "Maybe I should ask her next time I see her?"

Once dressed Bertholdt pushed all thoughts of Annie as far from his mind as possible, he didn't want his mind wandering when he went to meet Reiner. After making sure he had all he needed Bertholdt left, closing the door as quietly as possible as to not wake his father.

* * *

As he lightly jogged through the park Bertholdt took out his phone and checked the time and yet again noticed no reply from Annie, he fround as he came to stop under a nearby tree. "Could her phone broken? She usually replies to me quite quickly," He hummed. Almost immediately Bertholdt's mind flooded with images of the hyena's sharp smiles. "There's no way!" He assured himself clutching at his chest. "They wouldn't go near her again," Bertholdt told himself over and over again in an attempt to ease the tightness in his chest and throat. "Annie's okay… Connie would have called you if something was wrong, stop worrying you idiot." He sighed as he leaned against the tree.

"What is it with you and trees?" Bertholdt craned his head around to see Reiner standing on the other side of the tree with crossed arms.

Chuckling Bertholdt rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, I was lost in thought."

With an exaggerated roll of his eyes, Reiner slapped his friend on the shoulder. "You're thinking about Annie yet again? Whenever I leave you alone with your thoughts you end up thinking about her," He sighed as a blush crept up Bertholdt's cheeks. "You better confess to her soon or you'll go crazy."

"You know," Bertholdt moaned. "I don't think about her _all_ the time."

With a wide smirk Reiner replied. "No, just most of the time. Like just now for example."

"You don't know that?" Bertholdt pouted. "Maybe I was thinking about something different."

"Like what?"

"Like... What school we'll be going to." Bertholdt answered.

Reiner hummed and crossed his arms. "Yeah, apparently we start tomorrow. I wonder if anyone there will steal your heart from Annie," He chuckled much to Bertholdt's fluster. "Either way, I just hope we won't have to deal with anymore animals. It's pretty exhausting you know?"

"You're telling me," Bertholdt scoffed pointing to his still swollen lip and purple eye. "Fighting them six against one is even more tiring."

"Hey!" Reiner moaned. "I helped! I took out at least… two of them."

Bertholdt rolled his eyes. "If you say so. Anyway didn't you say your parents wouldn't let you out?"

With a resounding sigh Reiner stretched his arms over his head. "Yeah well… It took some promises of good grades and no more… 'events' but they came round eventually," Reiner clenched his fists as his voice lowered. "I can't stand being around them for too long."

Seeing the sudden change in Reiner's attitude Bertholdt smiled. "So," He said wrapping an around over his friend's shoulder. "What do you want to do now you've been allowed out?"

"Well…" Reiner hummed, thankful for his friend's attempts to change the mood. "I would love to grab something to eat."

With a widening smile, Bertholdt lead Reiner out of the park. "Lunch it is then!"

* * *

"Ah… I couldn't eat another bite." Reiner cooed as he leaned back in his chair.

Bertholdt took a sip from his drink and sighed. "I'm almost glad. I was about to go bankrupt."

"Oh shut it," Reiner chuckled. "I'm paying for my half," Taking out his wallet Reiner and Bertholdt paid for their meal and left the restaurant, as they walked a thought came to Reiner's mind. "By the way. You haven't mentioned Annie once today. Is everything okay, usually you don't stop going on about the new moves she taught you."

Bertholdt's gaze fell to the floor as his expression softened. "She hasn't replied to any of my texts."

"Hmm… maybe its the fact she isn't much of a talker." Reiner suggested.

Shaking his head Bertholdt sighed. "I don't think its that. Something feels different this time."

"Maybe you should go talk to her."

Bertholdt scratched the back of his head and chuckled. "I said I'd take a little break from the gym to Dad. I guess I'll just have to wait."

"I'm sure you'll survive," Reiner said with a choked voice. "You can do it."

"You're so funny…" Bertholdt deadpanned. "Also thank you for the great support."

Reiner threw his hands up and pouted. "I don't have girl problems. I don't know what to say," Noticing the heaving sigh on his friend's shoulders Reiner hummed. "Well… maybe if you do super well in your exams Annie will finally look past your sweaty brow and lanky limbs and see you for the genius you are!"

Bertholdt clutched his sides in laughter. "Thanks. You have such a way with words."

"Like a modern day Shakespeare!" Reiner boasted proudly.

"Okay Romeo," Bertholdt sighed. "You best get home. Don't want to push your parents too hard."

"Yeah," Reiner huffed letting his shoulders fall. "You're right as usual. Well I guess I'll see you at school." He said with a slight smile.

As Reiner and Bertholdt parted ways Bertholdt walked through the park with his hands in his pockets, the sun was still high in the sky and the heat beat down on his forehead. Deciding to take a break in the shade Bertholdt found himself sitting on the same bench he and Annie shared on their many runs and jogs.

Leaning back on the wooden seat Bertholdt realised it felt odd. He was so used to looking over to his side and seeing Annie's striking golden hair, something she'd throw her head back and yawn into the sky, at times like those Bertholdt was glad for the darkness as it hid the furious blush that would always creep up into his cheeks.

"I guess Annie has her own things to do…" Bertholdt sighed. "Maybe she's studying," Thoughts of when he and Annie had shared the arena with each other and a small mountain of textbooks, notes and pens quickly came to mind and a gentle smile spanned across his lips. "I hope I can study with her again soon." He smirked.

Bertholdt waited for the punishing heat of the sun to fade behind a veil of clouds before continuing his walk.

"I better get home and get ready for tomorrow." Bertholdt sighed as he took the long way home.

* * *

*The next day*

"Are you ready for this?" Reiner asked as he stood next to Bertholdt.

With a firm shaking of his head, Reiner scoffed. "Not in the slightest, we're being dropped in the deep end here."

"Come on!" Reiner exclaimed slapping a hand on Bertholdt's shoulder. "The two of us can make the most of this. We can do good here."

"Always the optimist," Bertholdt chuckled. "I guess a fresh start wouldn't hurt."

With a wide smile Reiner rested his hands on his hips. "That's the spirit. Now wh-...Um Bertholdt. Is that who I think it is?"

Bertholdt followed Reiner's extended gesture to see a short girl walking towards the front gate, however, what really caught his attention was the striking shade of blonde of her hair. "Annie!" He gasped, without another word he broke out into run towards her. "Hey Annie!"

As he made his way towards her, Annie came to a stop. Slowly she turned around and Bertholdt stopped running. "Annie?"

"What are you doing here?" She hissed.

It quickly dawned on Bertholdt that he hadn't told Annie what had happened. "Well…" But Annie never gave him a chance to explain.

"My dad put you up to this. Didn't he?" Annie groaned, rubbing her brow with her uninjured hand.

"What?"

"You know what? When you're talking to my dad behind my back tell him to stop spying on me." It had been a long time since Bertholdt had heard, let alone experience the ice in Annie's voice.

"Annie, I don't know what you're talking about." He stuttered.

"And now lying," She sighed. "I had you wrong. First you break your promise, take orders from by dad to spy at me in school and now you're lying to me," Bertholdt wanted nothing more than to tell Annie she was wrong, but the tightness in his chest made it hard enough to breath let alone talk. "Just do me a favour. Stay away from me and when fighting Mike, make sure to let him get in you in the face."

Leaving Bertholdt with all the words stuck in his throat Annie turned on her heels and left.

"What was that about?" Reiner asked appearing at his side.

Feeling his chest loosen slightly Bertholdt turned to his friend with wide. "I… I don't know." He whispered as Annie disappeared inside.


	18. Chapter 18

**Hello and happy Beruani month! I've been pretty busy writing oneshots for each day so if you want to check them out give them a read. In other news I finished my last exam now so I can focus pretty much all my efforts on writing which I'm so happy about! So once again thanks for the continued support and read on!**

* * *

Bertholdt felt an an odd numbness settle in his veins as he watched Annie walk away. _Why can't I move? Why can't I go to her?_ He asked himself. The same questions echoed in his head as he slowly made his way to class with Reiner at his side. Even as his new teacher introduced him to the rest of his class Bertholdt could still feel the heaviness in his legs.

The lesson passed in a hazy blur with Bertholdt not paying attention to the teacher, but instead to what Annie had said to him. "Stay away from me…" He whispered under his breath. "What did I do?" He asked himself as he fiddled aimlessly with a pen.

"Bertholdt Hoover?" It was the teacher's harsh tone that eventually snapped Bertholdt out of his trance. "If I'm not boring you, I'd like you to stay after lesson for a bit." Nodding in reply the teacher turned around and continued the lesson, once again leaving Bertholdt to fester over his confrontation with Annie.

* * *

"Have I done something wrong, sir?" Bertholdt asked once the rest of the class had left.

"No, I just want to go over a few things with you," The teacher explained offering Bertholdt a seat in front of him. "Now I understand the… circumstances, of your expulsion and I don't need to explain that that sort of behaviour won't be tolerated. Do I?" Bertholdt shook his head. "Good, that being said however, I think I can help deal with any, frustrations you might be experiencing," Standing up he made his way to the door. "Follow me."

Doing as he was told Bertholdt followed his teacher down the various corridors of the building. "Sir, where are we going?" Bertholdt asked.

With a smirk, the teacher looked over his shoulder to face his student. "Do you know what this school is known for?" Once again Bertholdt found himself shaking his head. "We have some of the best martial artists at this school, I think you could use the MMA club to burn off some steam."

Ice clawed its way up Bertholdt's back. _Annie's going to be there for sure… What do I do?_ He thought as a light sweat broke out over his brow. "Um… sir I'm not sure I could."

"Oh come on, look at you! You'd be a natural. It's right here," The teacher chuckled as he pointed to a door before knocking. "Mike are you in?"

From beyond the door came a familiar voice. "Yes, come in," The moment the door opened Bertholdt's eyes immediately locked onto the giant figure that was Mike Zacharias. "Ah what can I do for you?" Looking past his colleague Mike saw Bertholdt, and his various bruises and cuts. It didn't take him long to figure out what had happened. With a long sigh he gestured them to come in.

"I think I've found you a new member. This is Bertholdt Hoover and I think he could do with some… exercise."

Chuckling at the absurdity of the situation Mike rubbed his temples. "I'll be the judge of that, mind if I have a minute with him?"

"Of course, of course." With that Bertholdt was left alone with Mike.

"I'm not sure if you're stupid or unlucky," Mike sighed as he took a seat. "You have no idea how much Annie hates you at the moment," Bertholdt could already feel his chest tightening. Mike quickly noticed the distress on Bertholdt's face and stood, walking to the other side of the room he reached into a draw and pulled out a pair of gloves. Throwing them to Bertholdt he smiled. "Put them on, you look like you're about to burst."

Slowly Bertholdt took off his shoes and strapped on the gloves, before making his way to the middle of the flat, padded arena of the practise room. "I don't know what I've done wrong." He exclaimed tapping his fists against Mike's.

With a raised eyebrow Mike asked, "Maybe it was the fact you told her father what really happened?"

Throwing a light hook to Mike's shoulder he shook his head. "I haven't spoken to him! I've only ever spoken to him twice."

Stepping to the side before sending a punch of his own Mike's eyes widened slightly. "Then who told him?" Bertholdt raised his guard as the fist brushed pashed his defence. "Whoever told him made him really angry."

"How so?" Bertholdt asked as he stepped forward to deliver a jab to Mike's midsection.

Mike sidestepped and threw his calf into Bertholdt's sending him tumbling. "He's banned Annie from the gym and told me not to let her train or fight here, it took loads of convincing just to let Annie come to the club and just be there."

"And now she thinks I'm here to spy on her," Bertholdt moaned. "She won't even listen to me." He added as he picked himself up and faced Mike.

With a dry chuckled Mike stretched his arms over his head. "Yeah, she doesn't even want to see me. She'll come round, eventually."

"I don't want her to hate me! The thought of her hating me… it makes me feel sick," Bertholdt had the fight the tears that were welling up in his eyes. "How am I supposed to tell her the truth when she won't even look at me?"

Mike reached for a bottle of water and took a long drink. "I'm not usually one to offer relationship advice but when me and Nanba have a fight and don't talk for a while one of us will do something that proves we're sorry."

"Prove?"

"Since neither of us are that… talkative, we usually do something to show the other that we're sorry. Maybe that'd work with Annie." Mike explained.

Bertholdt hummed and scratched the back of his head. "What can I do to get Annie to at least listen to me?"

Reaching for his phone Mike checked the time. "I don't know but you better think of something soon because the club members are about to get here, Bertholdt's eyes widened. "It's okay, Annie's seeing the principal. She won't be here, that means you can help me out."

With a sigh of relief Bertholdt took the gloves off. "Thanks. It's good to see a friendly face around here."

"Just remember it won't be a friendly face in the arena." He chuckled.

* * *

"Wagner! I told you to keep your guard up," Mike shouted as the blonde boy hit the ground. "Connie, that was good. Your stance is much better than before."

Bertholdt watched as Connie helped his opponent off the floor. _I've never seen Connie fight before. He's pretty good._ He thought to himself as he hung the back from its hook.

"Okay enough warming up! Hoover. Put on a headguard, we're doing kick training today." Bertholdt went to find the headguard only to realise he didn't know where anything was. Just as he went to ask Mike where they were something hit the back of his head. Looking down at the floor Bertholdt saw a black headguard, after reaching down and picking it up he saw who had thrown it.

Connie simply gave him a wide smile before putting on a guard of his own.

After he lined up with the others, putting himself next to Connie, Bertholdt waited for Mike to begin. "Since _her Majesty_ isn't here today you won't have to worry about losing any teeth. That doesn't mean we'll be taking it easy on you. Jaeger, get up here." Bertholdt watched as a boy with oak brown hair and striking green eyes stepped forward. "Eren is ournext best fighter, you'll be training with him today."

 _Eren? That Eren?_ Bertholdt thought to himself as the boy put his hands on his hips and smiled. "Well first off, we seem to have a new fighter. Care to introduce yourself?"

Bertholdt stepped forward and took a breath. "I'm Bertholdt Hoover, I look forward to working with you."

A series of hushed whispers spread across the gathered pupils as rushed glances were thrown towards him. Even Eren's eyes widened at the sound of his name. "So you're the famous Bertholdt."

"F-famous?" Bertholdt stuttered.

Eren clasped a hand on Bertholdt's shoulder. "Annie talks about you quite a lot. The guy who beat some manners into Jean," Eren explained. "You know she holds you in high regards," Every word cut slightly deeper as Bertholdt thought back to the ice he had heard in Annie's voice only a couple of hours earlier. "So has Annie taught you any special moves?" Eren hummed.

With a light blush Bertholdt chuckled. "Um… well we just focus on the basics since I'm still new to this."

"No need to put yourself down," Eren said. "The basics are the most important! Come on, show us what you've got," Acting on instinct Bertholdt took half a step back and raised his fits to his eyes. Let me guess," Eren said with a chuckle. "Annie drilled you on that for hours until you got it right?"

With a dumbfound expression Bertholdt nodded. "How could you tell?"

"That stance," Eren explained. "It's the same she uses in her fights."

"Okay, okay enough chat," Mike bellowed. "We're doing kicks today, so, Eren show us how to do a basic front kick," He ordered throwing a pad to Bertholdt. "Hold it strong. Was his only advice as he assumed a stance similar to Bertholdt's.

Taking a sharp breath Eren leaned back slightly and brought his front leg above his waist, giving Bertholdt only a split second to harden his stance Eren extended his bent leg as if an electric current had been passed through it.

The force with which Eren struck the pad was far greater than Bertholdt anticipated and he was forced to take a step back as Eren landed. Looking down Bertholdt could see the clearly defined muscles on Eren's legs. _He must train for hours a day to be this strong!_ He thought to himself.

"We'll split into three groups," Mike explained. "One group will train front kicks with Eren, another will do side kicks with Connie and the last will do swinging kicks with me."

 _Swinging kick?... I could use those in my fight against Mike!_ Bertholdt thought as he made his way over to the third group. _Is it okay for me to use moves I learned from Mike to fight him?_

Seeing Bertholdt nervously make his way towards him Mike scoffed. "You think you can do a roundhouse kick?"

"I'd like to learn." Bertholdt shrugged, trying to hide anxiety.

Mike rolled his shoulders and smirked. "Good thing you're wearing that headguard then."

* * *

Bertholdt picked himself up off of the floor for what felt like the hundredth time. _No matter how many times I try I can't keep my balance._

"I think I know what you're problem is," Mike said as he offered Bertholdt his open hand. "It's the same one I have when doing this sort of stuff," Bertholdt gave him a puzzled look. "Your height."

"My height?"

Mike nodded. "You're so tall your centre of balance is all over the place, so whenever you go for a high kick it gets thrown off and you fall."

"How can you do it?" Bertholdt asked as he brushed his knees.

"Practise," Was the reply he got as Mike assumed his stance. "Now try again and this time make sure to pivot your foot as you rotate."

Bertholdt firmly nodded and followed Mike's instructions as best he could. By the end of the hour, Bertholdt's chest was heaving and sweat caked his body, causing his shirt to cling to his chest, seeing this Mike walked up to him and offered him a bottle of water. "You know you don't have to push yourself so hard."

Once he stood up Bertholdt shook his head and wiped his brow. "I can do it," Bertholdt huffed as he waited for Mike to hold the pad far above his pad. "I can do it." He affirmed as he focused his gaze on the black pad in Mike's hand.

Taking a sharp breath Bertholdt raised his leg and bent his leg so that his calf was brushing against his thigh, after taking a split second to affirm his balance Bertholdt twisted his leg inwards and snapped his leg out. Using the momentum from his initial spin and the power in his leg Bertholdt knocked the pad from Mike's hand.

Following through Bertholdt's pivoted his foot like Mike had told him and although the kick had been nearly flawless Bertholdt could feel his weight had been thrown too hard as he stumbled back several steps.

"You're getting better," Mike explained. "You just need to calm down, keep your head in the fight."

Bertholdt nodded. "I've got to do this." He told himself.

With raised eyebrows, Mike crossed his arms. "Why are you trying so hard?"

"Oh," Bertholdt gasped, unaware that Mike had heard him. "I… I just was thinking about what you told me about proving myself to Annie so she'll listen to me."

"And? What did you think of?"

Bertholdt clenched his fists. "I'm going to beat you," He said with as much courage as he could muster. "I'm going to win."

"That's why you've been trying so hard to learn roundhouse kicks," Mike chuckled. "So you have a way to beat me," Bertholdt slowly nodded, never breaking eye contact. "Just so you know, I won't go easy on you. I don't plan on losing."

A wide smile spread across Bertholdt's lips. "Thank you," He said as he gathered his things. "I won't go easy on you either."

* * *

Bertholdt jogged through the corridors of the school building, scanning the various faces he passed in search of Annie. It didn't matter how lost he got, the fire the practise lit within him drove him forward.

 _I'm not going home until I find her._ Bertholdt thought to himself as he reached the end of another hallway. Turning the corner he saw her.

"Annie!" He gasped, immediately speeding up.

Hearing her name Annie turned around to see Bertholdt coming towards her. With a resounding sigh Annie continued to walk down the corridor, away from Bertholdt.

"Annie," He repeated. "Please, just wait."

"I thought I told you to stay away," Annie hissed in a voice thick with ice. "What bit of that didn't you get?"

Bertholdt took a deep breath and did his best to shield himself from the venom and ice in Annie's voice. "I know, I know. You don't want me near you but let me say this-" She didn't give him a chance to finish.

"Let you lie to me again? I don't think so." She scoffed, turning on her heels and walking away.

"Let me prove myself to you," Annie stopped in her tracks. "If I win against Mike… let me explain why I'm here."

Annie didn't turn around, she just stood there. Just out of reach. "And if-when you lose?"

Bertholdt clenched his fists. "You'll never have to see or hear me again."

Annie's chest quickly tightened to a nearly unbearable degree. _Never see him again… Is that what I want?_

After a painfully silence, Annie walked away, pausing for a second to give her answer.

"Fine."


	19. Chapter 19

**As usual a big thanks for all the support this story has gotten. An even bigger thanks to those that leave a review! Please tell me what you think! Read on and enjoy!**

* * *

Bertholdt fell back on the grass of the park and wiped the sweat that was pouring down his forehead. He lay there in the sun, waiting for his heart to stop pounding. When a shadow cast itself over Bertholdt's head he opened his eyes and looked up.

"You should take a break," Reiner warned. "You've been practising for way over an hour in the boiling sun."

"I've got to make sure I can use this kick against Mike," Bertholdt huffed as he dragged himself to his feet. "It's the only way I can beat him."

Reiner passed his friend a bottle of water and gave him a sceptical gaze. "If you beat him you're going to have to face Levi again. Is that what you want?"

With a shake of his head, Bertholdt rolled his shoulders. "No. But I need to beat Mike either way."

"Hey Berty," Reiner sighed as he sat down against a nearby tree. "Has something happened? You've been pushing yourself way too hard recently."

Bertholdt followed his friends lead and lowered himself against the same tree. "It's Annie," He sighed. "I made a promise to her that if I beat Mike she'll let me explain why we're here."

"So you can put things right?" Reiner said.

"Exactly," Bertholdt huffed. "If I don't beat him she'll never talk to, or even look at me ever again." He added.

"Ah. I see why you're practising so hard now. Speaking of which," He chuckled nudging Bertholdt from around the tree. "Wanna get back to it?"

With a wide smile, Bertholdt took a long sip of his drink, stood up and made his way over to Reiner who was holding the small black pad in his hand.

Holding it over his head Reiner strengthened his grip as Bertholdt focused entirely on the pad in his hand. Bertholdt took several deep breaths before twisting his entire body and bending his knee, using his spin to add strength to his kick Bertholdt pivoted on his grounded foot and straightened his leg. The force knocked the pad clean from Reiner's hand and unlike before he managed to stick the landing, immediately returning to his guarding stance.

For a moment both Reiner and Bertholdt stood in silence, however, it was Reiner who broke the quiet. "You did it! That was perfect."

Bertholdt looked down at his balled fists and a chuckle escaped his lips, followed quickly by a wide smile. "That was good… wasn't it?" Reiner gave him a firm, fast nod. "If I can do it now I just need to do it in the ring."

"So what sort of fighter is Mike?" Reiner asked as he picked up the pad.

Bertholdt's smile quickly disappeared as he thought back to when he saw Mike fight. "He… he is something else. They call him a counter-fighter, he watches his opponent and waits for an opening and while he's waiting his guard is impeccable."

"Kicking wouldn't be that good then right?" Reiner asked much to Bertholdt's surprise.

"What do you mean?"

Reiner shrugged. "Well your kick is really strong but, it's easy to see it coming. So for someone like Mike he could see it coming and do something about it."

Suddenly Bertholdt's plan was under threat. "So what do I do then?"

Reiner held his chin and hummed. "You need to find a way to weaken his guard and then surprise him with that kick."

"So endurance?" Bertholdt asked.

"Endurance." Reiner echoed.

The two of them spent the rest of the day in the boiling heat of the sun with Bertholdt falling to the ground time after time again, only to have Reiner helping him back up. Eventually, as the light began to fade Bertholdt fell for the last time.

When he stood up Bertholdt felt his muscles burn in protest, not wanting to injure himself before his big fight he called it a day. "I better get home, feels like legs are going to fall off." He chuckled.

"I'm surprised they haven't already," Reiner scoffed as he threw Bertholdt his bottle. "Don't practise too hard or you'll pull something."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll just do a little more when I get home." Bertholdt mumbled.

Rolling his eyes Reiner followed Bertholdt out of the park. "How about sleeping or eating? Have you done much of that recently?"

A light blush crept up Bertholdt's cheeks as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, I've got to practise and do school work so…"

"When was the last time you ate something that wasn't leftovers?" When Bertholdt shrugged his shoulders Reiner sighed heavily. "Okay, your dad is at work all night right?" Bertholdt nodded. "Good, I'm making a call. You go home and shower because you reek and I'll sort out some food."

Waving his arms Bertholdt shook his head. "You don't have to."

Reiner rubbed his temples. "If you're going to fight _the_ Mike Zacharius then you need the right technique AND the right food." With that Reiner turned and left, pulling out his phone as he walked away.

Once Reiner was gone Bertholdt checked the time. "I guess I have enough time for a run around the park." He said to himself as he broke out into a light jog. As he ran Bertholdt was thankful for the gentle breeze that met him and cooled him off.

Jogging through the park quickly brought back memories of the countless time he had shared this run with Annie. _I've got to set things right._ He thought to himself. _I can't leave things as they-_ "Annie!" Bertholdt gasped he rounded the corner. Standing less than ten feet in front of him Annie was leaning against a tree with a bottle of water in her uncast hand, Bertholdt's eyes were quickly drawn to her toned midsection that was exposed by her black sports bra.

Annie's eyes were also momentarily drawn to Bertholdt's vest and the way it clung to his torso and exposed his arms. Although only for a moment Annie felt a blush burn under her cheeks when she looked towards his chest and shoulders it was when her eyes met his did the blush come to the surface. It had been so long since their eyes had met and Annie missed it, the gentle brown of his and the warmth in his smile and just his presence. For a brief moment, Annie considered reaching out to him, to speaking to him so she could see his smile.

 _He lied to you. Don't be an idiot._ She told herself. Quickly regaining her senses Annie shook her head, turned and began to walk away.

There was nothing Bertholdt wanted more than to reach out and grab her hand, to tell her to stop and listen to him, but he couldn't. He made the promise and he had to respect it, Bertholdt simply watched with balled fists and a steely gaze as Annie looked over shoulder as she walked away.

Even after Annie had left Bertholdt remained in place, his mind racing with thoughts as determination pumped through his veins. It was only when his phone buzzed in his pocket was Bertholdt shaken from his trance. He looked down and saw Reiner was calling him.

"Are you living in that park now?" Reiner growled.

Bertholdt chuckled. "S-sorry I went for a little run, I'll head home now."

With a muffled voice Reiner held the phone away from him. "No, he's going to be a while so preheat the oven."

"Reiner… who did you invite to my home?"

"Someone who's going to help feed you so hurry up." Reiner said before hanging up.

Not wanting to keep Reiner waiting Bertholdt quickly left the park and jogged home.

Once he climbed the stairs to his apartment Bertholdt knocked on the door and was quickly met by a girl with chocolate brown hair that tired back in a messy ponytail. Seeing a stranger standing in his doorway Bertholdt stepped back and looked past the girl.

"Reiner!" He called out.

"Hey Sash, is it him," Reiner replied.

The girl looked Bertholdt up and down before looking over her shoulder. "Yeah!" Releasing she hadn't introduced herself she turned back to Bertholdt with a light blush on her cheeks. "Sorry, I'm Sasha, I'm Connie's girlfriend and I know Reiner."

"Oh, that's okay, I think I've seen you around school. But what are you doing here?" He asked.

Sasha pointed over her shoulder. "Reiner said he wanted some help cooking, I'm a pretty good cook," She shrugged. "They said you probably hadn't eaten anything so Reiner wanted help making you some food." Sasha explained as they walked through Bertholdt's home.

"You didn't have to," Bertholdt said waving his hands. "I'll be okay."

Sasha giggled. "Connie said you'd say that but any friend of Connie is a friend of mine."

Bertholdt went to protest when he heard Reiner's voice. "You're finally here! Good thing I called you or it would have been cold by now."

"What would have been cold by now?" Bertholdt asked as he walked into the kitchen.

Upon seeing the spread in front of him Bertholdt felt his jaw hang open. Normally dinner consisted of whatever was leftover in the fridge, sometimes he would have enough money to go to the market to get something fresh but now, here Reiner, Connie and Sasha had made a large spread of all sorts of food.

Squeezing past him Sasha put her hands on her hips and smiled gleefully. "We have beef stew, garlic bread, curry, rice and jacket potatoes with," She said pointing to a variety of small dishes. "All the fillings you could ask for."

"You… you guys made all this?" Bertholdt stuttered.

Appearing from seemingly nowhere Connie came to Sasha's side and quickly kissed her cheek. "Yeah! We all worked on it but Sash was the master behind the cooker."

Blushing slightly Sasha gently pushed Connie away. "You have to try it first before you praise me."

Taking her advice the four of them sat down around Bertholdt's small kitchen, before digging into the mountain of food, however, Bertholdt thanked Sasha and other. Not wanting to wait another second Bertholdt plated himself a large portion of rice and curry.

 _I didn't even realise I was this hungry._ Bertholdt thought to himself as his mouth watered at the smell of the food in front of him. As he and the other ate their way through the mountain of food on the table Bertholdt found himself looking to particular part of the table. Between him and Connie was a small opening, too small for anyone to sit. _Maybe if I saved up we could get a bigger table then… then even Annie could sit with us._

The thought of having Annie at his table with Reiner and the others felt so warming, it would have felt complete. With tightly balled fists Bertholdt felt determination pump through his heart, knowing he had to beat Mike.

"Aaahhh I haven't felt that full in ages!" Connie yawned. "You're the best babe." He said turning to Sasha.

"Well right now I want to hear what Bertholdt thinks."

All heads turned to face Bertholdt who had just finished dabbing his face with his napkin. "It was amazing. I haven't eaten a full meal like in ages."

"You're welcom,." Sasha said proudly.

"You'll have to let me pay you back for this." Bertholdt said as he collected the dishes.

Reiner, Connie and Sasha looked between each other and smiled. "Well we could use a place to stay." Connie shrugged.

"That'll be fine, my dad usually comes home early in the morning and I should have enough room either way." Bertholdt explained as he washed the dishes. "Please make yourselves comfortable.

With Bertholdt's permission now granted Connie and Sasha excused themselves from the table and went to unpack their things leaving Reiner and Bertholdt alone.

"So what's wrong?" Reiner asked once the other two were out of earshot.

"What do you mean?"

Reiner rested on his hand on Bertholdt's shoulder. "You've been acting off since you got home. What happened?"

Bertholdt immediately stopped what he was doing and bit his lip. "I… I saw Annie in the park."

"Oh."

"Even with her arm in a cast she was still exercising," He chuckled. "Of course she didn't say anything to me, we just sort of looked at each other for a moment before she left."

"But it still got to you." Reiner said in a deep tone.

Scoffing slightly Bertholdt continued washing the dishes. "Yeah… I just know I have to beat Mike."

"Look Bertholdt, I know you want to beat Mike more than anything but… he's been doing this for years. You've only been fighting for a couple months."

"Are you saying I should give up?" Bertholdt growled.

Reiner firmly shook his head. "No. I'm just telling you that Mike is the only one who's skills are second only to Levi."

Without thinking Bertholdt rounded on Reiner with fire in his eyes. "That doesn't mean I can't beat him!"

"Look at you!" Reiner retorted. "This isn't you Bertholdt. I know Annie is important to you but you're pushing yourself way too hard. You were always the one out of us to plan ahead right? Well what's your plan if you actually beat him?" Bertholdt opened his mouth to reply but found nothing to say. "You just expect Annie to believe you?"

"She will when I prove myself."

"When you're beaten into the ground again? Is that what you think she wants to see?" Reiner's voice was growing increasingly louder. "Is that what you think we want to see?"

Once again Bertholdt went to respond when a voice cut him off. "We care about you," Both Reiner and Bertholdt turned to see Connie standing in the doorway. "I care about you man and so does Annie. And I can say with for damn near certain that Annie wouldn't want to see you bloody and broken… like the way you saw her that night."

"What?" Bertholdt gawked.

"That night when I called you, Annie nearly begged me not to get you. She didn't want you to see her like that," Connie explained. "Her entire life she's been compared to strong people, people who can fight, that's why she's cold and bitchy and then you come along."

Yet again Bertholdt found himself gawking. "Me?"

"Yes. You," Connie said stepping towards him. "You see her for more than a fighter, you see her as a person, a person who's worried about what their going to do with their life and," He paused, questioning his choice of words. "And she's scared. You think she wants this? To push you away? The only reason she's doing this is because she doesn't know how to let people close to her. So tell me," By now Connie was standing directly in front of Bertholdt, looking up at him. "Do you think Annie wants to see you walk into that ring and get beaten into the ground? Because I can tell you Mike won't pull his punches."

Finally finding his voice Bertholdt stepped back and looked to floor. "What should I do then? I promised her."

"You think Annie is going to stop talking to you over some half-assed promise you made with her?" Connie sighed. "I get what you're trying to do but there are other ways of doing it."

"Like what?"

"Prove to Annie that you've learned from her. Don't go in their throwing everything you have at Mike because it won't work, go in their and show Annie all that she's taught you. You won't win, but Annie will see you. If she sees you going in their and fighting like a crazy person she'll just see you as another one of the muscle heads who goes to her gym." Connie explained.

"Connie's got a point," Reiner said. "Show her you're more than a fighter. Show her you're a person who can think." He said flicking Bertholdt's forehead.

"Annie's technique is used against people bigger and stronger than her," Connie exclaimed. "Who better to use it on than the one guy who's bigger than you."

Bertholdt fell silent, his gaze remained locked on the floor. "I'm sorry, It's all I've been thinking about recently."

"Hey it's alright," Reiner shrugged. "You've been so worried by all this, of course it'd get to you."

"So what should I practise?" Bertholdt asked.

Both Connie and Reiner hummed. "Well Annie focuses a lot on counters so you should bait Mike into throwing a strike and then countering." Connie explained.

Gulping at the thought of taking one of Mike's jabs at full strength Bertholdt chuckled. "I reckon I can do that."

"Good, but first you need some sleep." All three of them turned their heads to see Sasha leaning in the doorway.

* * *

That night despite the pleas of his friends Bertholdt couldn't sleep. He waited until everyone else was fast asleep before getting up and going outside. Once there he looked up at the night sky and took a deep breath.

"I didn't even realise how hard I've been pushing myself," He chuckled rubbing the bruises on his shoulders and arms. "Those guys are right… I can't tunnel vision on this. I'll show Annie how I feel… and then she can make her decision." Bertholdt said to himself as he smiled up at the night sky.

* * *

The next morning Reiner woke up to a deep smoky scent. Looking around he saw Connie was still fast asleep, after slowly sitting up Reiner checked his phone. "What is Bertholdt doing up so early?" He groaned rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Walking into the kitchen Reiner rolled his eyes upon seeing Bertholdt standing over the cooker. "Are you allergic to sleep or something?"

Bertholdt turned around and smiled. "I just wasn't tired and I needed to do something after you guys cooked all that food last night."

"We cooked it so you could rest," Reiner chuckled shaking his head. "You need to sleep at some point."

"Hey," Bertholdt protested. "I did get some rest, I'm just a light sleeper."

"Right, right," Reiner sighed as he came to Bertholdt's side. "What's for breakfast then?"

* * *

After eating the meal Bertholdt prepared for them Reiner, Bertholdt, Connie and Sasha quickly got ready for school and left before Bertholdt's father got home. As they walked together Bertholdt noticed Sasha intertwining her fingers with Connie's.

"So if you don't mind me asking… How long have you two been a thing?"

Connie looked down at their and hands and blushed. "Oh well… we've known each other since we were little and…"

"And one day we were just kinda together. It's been nearly two years now." Sasha added.

"Wow," Bertholdt gasped. "That's amazing, you two go together so well."

This time both Sasha and Connie blushed. "Well I hear you and Annie are pretty close." Sasha pouted.

"W-we just train together a lot." Bertholdt stuttered.

Reiner looked over to Connie and Sasha who rolled their eyes. "Oh please," Sasha scoffed. "Its painfully obvious you have a crush on her."

"I can't even hide it from Mike." Bertholdt sighed in defeat.

"Like I said," Sasha said walking ahead as they approached the school. "Painfully obvious."

Connie followed after her, turning around to give Bertholdt a sly smile before rounding the corner and leaving Bertholdt and Reiner alone. "I'm telling you," Reiner started. "Those two are sharper than you thought."

With a deep chuckle Bertholdt and Reiner walked into the building.

Bertholdt spent the rest of the day thinking back to everything Annie had ever taught him, between lessons he found himself going through mock fights in his head. At every opportunity Bertholdt practised his stances and forms, in the corridors, toilets or behind the school building Bertholdt made the most of every second he had.

When the end of the day finally arrived Bertholdt stretched his arms above his head and yawned loudly.

"Maybe you'll finally get an early night," Reiner scoffed as the two of them walked home. "You've got to sleep at some point and you can't keep falling asleep in class."

"I think you're right," Bertholdt scoffed. "I can already feel my eyes closing."

Reiner cupped his chin and hummed. "Well you've got a couple days until your fight so make sure you get some rest."

"If I get all my homework done I can focus on rest and practise," Bertholdt hummed. "Anyway where are Connie and Sasha?"

"Ah Connie left early to go help at the gym and Sasha went with him. Annie's orders apparently."

Bertholdt narrowed his eyes. "Is there a fight on tonight?"

Reiner nodded. "Female's final. It's between some girl called Ymir and Mikasa."

With a heavy sigh Bertholdt let his arms fall to his side. "I wish I could go watch, maybe I could even learn something."

"If you want I could go for you. Annie never said anything about me being banned," Reiner suggested. "I'll even take notes if I'm feeling especially nice."

"You're going to go to a cage fight and take notes?" Bertholdt scoffed. "But thanks."

Seemingly ignoring him Reiner continued walking ahead. "Seeing how I'm so nice I'll need some form of payment." He mumbled.

"Fine, fine," Bertholdt huffed, "I owe you for this,"

* * *

The next few days passed in a blur as Bertholdt went through the motions, waking up, going to school, practising and sleeping. Each day Bertholdt repeated training as hard as Reiner would let him each day.

"So let me get this straight," Bertholdt gawked as he pushed himself up from the floor. "Mikasa took her out in one kick."

"Yeah, apparently she was angry that she didn't get to fight Annie again."

"Woah," Bertholdt gasped. "She sounds pretty scary."

Reiner simply nodded. "She was something else."

Bertholdt fell to the floor and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "How many was that?"

"Fifty," Reiner said looking up from his phone. "So if Levi beats Mike he'll have to fight Mikasa?"

Rolling his shoulders Bertholdt nodded. "That's how it works."

"I'd sell a kidney to see that fight." Reiner cooed.

Bertholdt shook his head. "How about you keep your kidneys and come see my fight."

"Speaking of which, how do you feel?" Reiner asked.

After wiping his face with a towel Bertholdt answered. "Well seeing how it's tonight pretty damn nervous."

"Just remember what me and Connie told you and it'll be fine."

"You're not the going to be the one in the arena." Bertholdt corrected as he gathered his things.

The walk to the gym was silent as Bertholdt calmed himself, he had seen Mike fight only once before, he had only heard stories of his abilities and now he would face them all. Bertholdt was deep in thought he didn't realise they had arrived until Reiner rested his hand on his shoulder.

With a heavy knock on the metal door Bertholdt took a deep breath, for a moment he had expected Annie to open the door like the countless times she had but he quickly pushed those distracting thoughts from his mind when he was met by Connie in the doorway.

"You're here early," He said with a smirk. "You okay?"

Bertholdt nodded and walked through the door. "Yeah, I just wanna warm up before everyone gets here." He said looking to the windows at the top of the stairs.

Connie came up behind him and slapped the small of her back. "She got back from the hospital a while ago, she's been up in her room ever since. Don't worry, she'll be watching."

After thanking him Bertholdt made his way to the changing rooms, once alone he let out a heavy sigh, pulled his shirt over his head and rolled his shoulders. "I can do this." He repeated to himself as he tightened his gloves. Once changed Bertholdt sat in the room alone with his thoughts.

It wasn't long before he heard the sounds of cheers as the crowds amassed, knowing that his time was short Bertholdt stood and pushed his hair out of his face as he made his way to the door.

"We have an incredible fight for you tonight!" A voice bellowed. "The legendary Mike Zacharius will be facing the newcomer who surprised everyone when he knocked Jean out of the competition!"

Bertholdt stepped out of the changing room and slowly walked towards the ring where Mike was waiting for him with crossed arms.

"Bertholdt Hoover!"


	20. Chapter 20

**Welcome to chapter 20! I want to thank everyone's support to get me to upload. I've been so busy with Bertholdt x Annie month I didn't have much time to write but I managed to write this piece by piece so thank you to everyone who reviewed and please tell me what you think of the chapter!**

* * *

The instant Bertholdt stepped into the arena he turned out the vicious roars of the crowd and instead focused entirely on the sound of his own breathing. Standing only a couple of feet in front of him was Mike, he had seen him in the ring before but something about being in the arena with him sent fear pulsing through Bertholdt's veins.

Rolling his shoulder's Bertholdt relished in the stretching and pulling in his muscles.

"I've heard you've been training hard the past few days," Mike chuckled as he cracked his knuckles. "I'm not going to go easy on. I hope you know that."

Bertholdt stretched his arms over his head and looked up to the tinted windows above him before smiling. "Good."

After that there were no more words between them as the two of them took their stances, Bertholdt took half a step back and raised his fists to guard his head. Mike simply parted his legs slightly and brought his guard close to his chest. Bertholdt barely took of Connie who stepped between them.

"You guys know the rules. No biting, no clawing and keep away from the eyes and groin." He explained.

Bertholdt simply nodded, telling Connie all he needed to know. Turning his head Mike grunted his response and Connie took a deep breath.

"Fight!

* * *

As Connie stepped back neither he or Mike moved, both of them had their eyes locked on the other. The silence in the gym seemed thick as Bertholdt and Mike began to slowly circle each other.

 _He hasn't charged at me. Just like I predicted._ Bertholdt thought to himself. _If I bait out a big move I can counter._ Knowing that he would have to throw the first strike Bertholdt took a sudden sharp breath before rushing forward.

Keeping his guard tight to his chest Bertholdt knelt low as he approached Mike who responded by taking half a step back and centering himself. _He's going to block it to test my strength. Fine._ Bertholdt gritted his teeth as he sent a powerful jab into Mike's side.

Mike moved like a programed robot, stepping his other foot back so that Bertholdt's fist merely grazed his arm. Yet despite his successful block, Mike scolded himself. _Why didn't I see that coming?_ He asked himself as Bertholdt's leg swung into his now exposed side.

The moment Mike stumbled back the crowd went wild but neither Bertholdt or Mike could hear it as they recentered themselves, ready for the next engagement.

Smirking to himself Bertholdt darted forward again, this time readying his leg and balling his fists. The moment he got as close as he needed Bertholdt swung his leg around with all his might aiming for Mike's head.

 _Too predictable._ Mike smirked to himself as he raised his guard to his head.

As his foot careened towards Mike's head Bertholdt bent his leg slightly and upon impact causing his foot to brush against his guard. Using the remaining momentum as he spun Bertholdt landed and launched his other foot out towards Mike's unprotected side. The weight of Bertholdt's kick combined with the damage he had already inflicted with his earlier jab caused Mike to grit his teeth.

 _I get it now. He's baiting me out with fake attacks to open me up._ Mike concluded as he held his side. _I won't fall for that again._

Bertholdt fought the urge to smile at his success. Standing on his toes he felt lighter as Mike slowly approached him. Taking a sharp breath Bertholdt lunged forward with ready fists. _If I can get him to raise his guard I can strike his midsection again._ He thought to himself and he sent his fist towards Mike's head.

This time Mike was one step ahead of him, as Bertholdt launched his attack Mike took a deep breath and reached out with an open hand, the instant their hands touched Mike grasped onto Bertholdt's wrist and pulled him forward.

Bertholdt immediately lost his balance and Mike pulled his arm down and forward, he was about to kick out Mike's calf when a hand clasped around his face. Using all his strength Mike lifted Bertholdt off of the ground and threw him back against the floor.

Pain flooded through Bertholdt's body as the air was forced out of his lungs. Slowly focusing his eyes on Mike Bertholdt took a long painful breath before standing up and raising his fists.

 _He's onto me._ Bertholdt thought to himself. _I've got to keep a level head._ He watched Mike's stance for any sign of an opening. _His guard is too high! I can go for his sides._ With a new target, Bertholdt bent down and kept his fists close to his chest as he darted towards MIke.

Mike notching Bertholdt's eyes on his side suppressed the urge to smirk as his opponent came towards him. _He'll throw a faint and spin it into a kick against my side._ As predicted Bertholdt threw a heavy hook towards his face, merely brushing against his cheek Bertholdt allowed the momentum of his strike to carry him and as he spun he lifted a foot from the floor and sent it towards Mike's side.

Just before Bertholdt's foot struck his side Mike bent and raised his leg as high as he could. Bertholdt's kick collided with his calf causing nothing more than a mild tingle to Mike. Stunned that his attack had failed Bertholdt stepped back and reaffirmed his defenses.

 _He's figured me out… Fine._ Bertholdt sighed looking up to the window he knew hide Annie's room. _You better watch me._ He thought to himself quickly turning his attention back to Mike.

Knowing that he'd have to open Mike's defenses before he could deal any meaningful damage Bertholdt sent a flurry of light blows into his guard. Quick and weak Bertholdt made sure to follow a pattern he knew Mike would quickly pick up on. When Mike stiffened his body Bertholdt knew he'd counter soon and readied his own counterattack.

Bertholdt knew Mike specialized in counters but when he seemingly moved like water and dodged to the side Bertholdt felt his chest tighten.

With a punch like a piston, Mike sent a devastatingly powerful fist into Bertholdt's side. Never before had he been struck so hard, Bertholdt was sure his chest was about to collapse from the strength in Mike's punch.

Stumbling back Bertholdt clutched his side and coughed heavily. _How can he be so big and still move so quickly!? Either way, I can't take too many more of those punches… I've got to be quicker._ Bertholdt assured himself as he took up his stance again. This time it was Mike who rushed forward with fists ready.

All Bertholdt could do was throw himself to the side to dodge Mike's charge, quickly standing up Bertholdt had barely a second before Mike was bearing down on him again. Once again Mike launched a powerful strike towards his side, however, this time Bertholdt let his legs fall from beneath him. As he fell Mike's fist grazed against his shoulder pushing him to the side and against the metal fence.

Holding his shoulder Bertholdt leaned against the wall of the arena. _What can I do against someone like him?_ He asked himself. _He's too fast and too strong. I can't counter someone who moves like that._

Mike didn't give Bertholdt any time to think of a plan as he sent a wide kick towards his opponent's side. Already being pressed against the arena's edge Bertholdt couldn't do anything to stop Mike's kick.

The force with which Mike's kick struck Bertholdt sent him crashing to the floor. Pain bloomed through his side and chest making it hard to breathe, clutching his side Bertholdt stood once again.

"You're not going down easy," Mike smirked as he rolled his shoulders. "And you've gotten much better."

"Thanks," Bertholdt coughed. "But it's clear you're going to win."

Mike scoffed. "Yet you're still standing," He said looking up to Annie's window. "You still have something to prove?"

Taking a deep breath Bertholdt brought his guard to his chest. "Want to find out?"

* * *

Bertholdt wiped the blood from his lip and focused on Mike who was standing over him. It had been a bloody and brutal fight on Bertholdt's side. As he promised and Connie warned Mike wasn't pulling his punches, each blow felt like a car had crashed into his body.

 _Keep your head straight._ Bertholdt told himself. _You're not here to go crazy. You're here to show what you've learned._ With a deep, cool breath Bertholdt readied himself.

Using what strength he had left Bertholdt rushed forward with balled fists. For an instant and no longer Bertholdt let himself look up to Annie's window. _Watch this._ He said to himself before taking a sharp breath and focusing on Mike. Purposefully keeping his guard low Bertholdt made sure to expose his face and neck as he charged towards him.

 _He must be getting tired._ Mike thought to himself with a smirk as Bertholdt came towards him. _I can finish this quickly._ He added as he too lunged forward with a tightly balled fist.

As the two of them closed in on each other it looked like that with his longer arms Mike's fist would connect first Bertholdt had other plans. A second before Mike's attack connected Bertholdt ducked beneath it and moved into his open guard. Now below him Bertholdt bent his arm and rocketed up as hard as he could, he was moving far too quick for Mike to reacted as he was carried forward by his heavy strike.

Once he was standing Bertholdt hooked his arm around Mike's extended arm and his neck before clasping his wrist with his other arm. With Mike now in a lock Bertholdt swiped his foot against Mike's as hard as he could. Moments later the two of them crashed into the floor.

Mike was so shocked by his opponent's move he was momentarily unable to move, Bertholdt, on the other hand, had already unhooked his arm from Mike's neck and had perched himself over him with fists at the ready.

Not even giving him a second a second to defend himself Bertholdt sent his fists into Mike's exposed face with every ounce of strength he had. _It hurts so much without the gloves._ Bertholdt thought with gritted teeth as he rained down punches onto his opponent. _I can't let him raise his guard and counter… I'm running out of strength._

Mike found himself shocked by the sheer strength Bertholdt was putting into his punches. _Where did all this power come from?_ He thought to himself while moving his head out of the way of Bertholdt's strikes. _Either way I need to get out of this position._ Searching for an opening he quickly found what he was looking for. _There's a moment. His breathing is too irregular, when he pulls back from a punch there's a moment where he takes too long to ready the next punch meaning…_ Just as Bertholdt withdrew his arm Mike launched his open palm up to his midsection.

All the air in Bertholdt's lungs was forced out of him in a violent cough as Mike struck him with all his might. However Mike's strike wasn't random retaliation, his palm hit him slightly off to the side sending Bertholdt tumbling from his advantageous position.

As he fell back Bertholdt gritted his teeth, doing his best to ignore the pain in his stomach he threw himself launching his legs forward towards Mike's head. _I'm not letting you go just yet!_ Bertholdt growled to himself as he grabbed Mike's hand and wrapped his legs around Mike's neck and head.

* * *

Annie had long since abandoned her homework, ever since Bertholdt walked through the door she found herself looking to her window and not down at her desk. Once she noticed the level of her distraction Annie shook her head and focused entirely on the paper on her desk. However, her progress came to a grinding halt when she heard a loud knock on the door.

"What is it?" She groaned turning around in her chair.

From beyond the door, she heard Connie's voice. "Just in case you want to know. Bertholdt's just about to get in the arena."

Annie didn't respond, she simply turned back around and looked back down at her desk but no matter how hard she focused Annie couldn't concentrate on the pen in her hand while knowing Bertholdt was in the arena. Eventually, Annie gave up on her work and stood from her desk, taking a moment to stretch her arms over her head Annie looked to her window and bit her lip.

"He's really fighting down there?" She whispered to herself. "There's no way he'll beat Mike-" She added just as a thunderous roar from the crowd echoed in her eats. "What could they be going crazy about? It should just be a one sided slaughter." Walking towards her window Annie expected to see Bertholdt bloody and beaten on the floor with Mike's imposing frame looming over him. She expected to see Bertholdt with the same aimless anger in his eyes that she saw in everyone else who stepped in that ring.

"What!?" She gasped when she saw Bertholdt's legs wrapped around Mike's neck. "How did he get Mike in a triangle choke?" Annie asked pressing her hand against the glass.

Bertholdt was tightening his hold with every passing second. Somehow he found the strength to hold Mike in place with just his legs. Every attempt to escape only created more space for Bertholdt to squeeze more air from Mike's lungs.

Catching what little of his breath was left Mike clasped his free hand on Bertholdt's thigh to try and pull him off of him. The sheer strength in Mike's arm allowed him to loosen the hold around his neck, even giving him enough room to stand but Bertholdt wasn't going to let him escape.

 _I'm not done with you yet!_ He told himself as he twisted Mike's hand, released the hold around his neck and rotated his pelvis. Using Mike as a grip Bertholdt slammed one of his legs into the side of Mike's neck and the other into his side. The force of the strike took away the breath of both Mike and Annie. Bertholdt, however, wasn't going to give anyone a chance to blink as he sent his opponent's head crashing into the floor with a heavy thud.

 _Please just stay down…_ Bertholdt pleaded as he took a deep breath. _Please give me this…_ However, when he felt Mike shift from under him he knew Mike wasn't going to let him win.

Bertholdt perched himself over Mike's back and pulled his arm back hoping to force him to tap out of the fight. _I can do this… I can do this._ But as he pulled his arm nothing happened, there was no pained roar, no tapping. Nothing. Mike didn't react, in fact, the opposite happened. Instead of bending his arm back Mike tensed his arm and threw Bertholdt off of him like his was a mere nuisance.

Crashing against the floor Bertholdt felt a burning in his legs as he tried to stand up. "I thought I had you there…" He huffed.

Mike got to his feet and rolled his shoulder. "You're good. Much better than I expected, if you had been fighting for longer than you could have had a chance."

"Are you saying I didn't even have a chance?" Bertholdt groaned. With a firm nod, Bertholdt let out a defeated sigh and looked up to Annie's window. "I wonder if it was enough?" With each word, Bertholdt felt his eyelids grow heavier and heavier until he simply let his eyes close and his body fall to the floor.

Moments before he fell into a deep sleep Bertholdt heard Connie's voice bellowing across the gym.

"Your winner! Mike Zacharius!"

* * *

Bertholdt slowly opened his eyes, only to be immediately blinded by punishing lights. "Ugh… where am I?"

"You're in the changing room," Said a distant voice. "You were amazing in there."

Slowly sitting up Bertholdt clutched his side as pain ached through his body. "I lost then?" He asked looking over to Connie.

"Yeah," Connie chuckled. "You lost but damn you showed your stuff to everyone."

"Everyone?" Bertholdt asked.

Connie smirked and nodded. "Everyone." He said pointing to the door.

Bertholdt slowly turned his head to see Annie standing in the doorway. "Annie!" He gasped trying to get to his feets. "You saw the fight?"

Annie had her arms wrapped around her sides. "Yeah…"

"And you're here." He chuckled holding his side as he slowly walked towards her.

Before he could get too close Annie stepped back. "I...I just wanted to know where you learned those moves."

Ignoring the sinking feeling in his chest Bertholdt smiled. "I had a great teacher."

"Are you lying to me again?" Annie asked.

The suddenness of her question caught Bertholdt off guard as it felt like an icy knife had been driven between his ribs. "I've never lied to you. I just haven't been given the chance to tell you truth."

"Well…" Annie started stepping towards him, much to Bertholdt's relief. "Nows your chance." She said leading him outside.

It took longer than Bertholdt would have liked to get outside, his legs felt like they were made of lead as each step sent pain aching through his body. Once they finally got outside Bertholdt braced himself against the cold of the night air as they sat down next to each other.

"So… what do you have to say?"

Bertholdt opened his mouth to answer when he realised he hadn't actually planned out what he would say when or even if he would speak to her. "Well… first off I didn't tell your dad what happened to your arm." He said gesturing to her cast.

"Who did then?" Annie said with narrowed eyes.

"I...I don't know."

Annie balled her fists. "You know this is kind of hard to believe seeing how my dad found out and you appear at my school within a couple of days."

"That's the other thing," Bertholdt said. "I didn't follow you to school, I was… expelled from my school."

"What? What for?"

Bertholdt took a deep breath and found himself tightly curling his fists. "I got into a fight."

Annie looked away from Bertholdt and shook her head. "I didn't expect that from you," She sighed. "I thought you were smarter than tha-"

"They were the ones who attacked you," Bertholdt interrupted. "They… taunted me about it. They said things about you and I lashed out." A heavy silence fell on the two of them. Bertholdt let his head fall into his hands as Annie looked at him with wide eyes. Eventually, he looked up and faced her.

"Why did that make you mad?" She asked.

Bertholdt felt a lump grow in his throat. "W-what?"

Annie repeated her question. "Why did that make you mad?"

When he thought about it Bertholdt found it easy to talk. "When they said those… things about you I just… couldn't stand the sound of them even saying your name. Now, can I ask a question?"

Annie slowly nodded.

"Why did you come to see me even though I lost?"

Annie quickly turned her head away when she felt heat rush to her cheeks. "I watched your fight… and well you would have won if you had more time in the ring. Your skills were there, you just didn't have as much experience in the ring."

"That didn't answer my question." Bertholdt chuckled.

This time Annie turned to face him, regardless of the blush on her cheeks she felt like she needed to look him in the eye. "I'm trying to say… I was impressed, by you."

"Impressed?"

Annie nodded. "Impressed enough to be talking to you," She paused. "And believe you."

The tightness in Bertholdt's chest instantly vanished, the weight and worry that had plagued him for days lifted by her words. "You do?" He gasped.

Once again Annie nodded.

Before he could realise what he was doing threw his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. "Thank you! Thank you!" Only when Annie yelped in pain at the pressure on her arm did Bertholdt release her. "Oh god, I'm sorry. I-I forgot."

Holding her arm Annie hissed at the pain. "I-it's okay," She groaned. "They said I should be able to take this thing off soon."

Bertholdt looked down to her cast and held his hands out near the sling. When Annie nodded he slowly took her arm in his hands and felt around the solid cast. "That's great news. You'll be back in the ring in no time."

Smirking Annie leaned back against the wall. "Yeah, it's taking some work but I think my dad will come round to the idea of letting me back into fighting… eventually."

Neither Annie nor Bertholdt realised how close they had gotten over the past few seconds. Bertholdt still had his hands gently resting on her arm and he too had leaned back next to her head.

"I never wanted to believe it was you," Annie said. "I just couldn't accept it was you. That's why I pushed you away."

Turning his head to look down Bertholdt smiled. "It's okay, I understand. You don't seem like the type of person to be convinced by words alone, that's why I fought Mike like that."

"You knew I'd be watching?" Annie asked tilting her head up.

Bertholdt shrugged. "I wasn't certain but either way I wanted to show you what I learned, so what did you think?"

"Well," Annie said taking a deep breath. "You need to work on your patterns, your fists were all over the place. And that triangle hold you did were a train wreck, no wonder Mike threw you to the floor when you tried a submission."

"Oh…" Bertholdt sighed.

Jabbing his side with her elbow Annie giggled. "But for your first go it wasn't bad. You just need more practise… and a teacher."

Bertholdt's eyes slowly widened. "But I'm out of the tournament?"

"Yeah… but if you want to learn I'm gonna be there."

Without realising what he was doing Bertholdt moved his head down to Annie's. "I'll take you up on that offer."

Only when Annie moved up to meet his advances did Bertholdt realise what was happening. The tightness in his chest that he had been freed from moments earlier returned, however, it wasn't unpleasant, in fact to Bertholdt it wasn't a pain caused by worry or dread but instead a feeling caused by a mixture of anticipation and relief at the same time.

Moving as if his body was on autopilot Bertholdt reached out and took Annie's cheek in one of his hands and guided her lips towards his and just before their lips came together Bertholdt swore he heard Annie's breath hitch.

The feeling between them was akin to an electric shock as Annie, out of instinct, went to push herself forward to his touch.

Bertholdt felt his body stiffen when he felt Annie's lips pushing against his. He was about to push forward himself when he heard the door behind them fly open.

Pulling back Bertholdt almost fell over as he looked back to see who had opened the door.

Connie was standing in the doorway panting heavily, in his hand was Bertholdt's phone. "I'm sorry… your dad called. He said it was an emergency."


	21. Chapter 21

**Sorry it took so long! But I'm back with chapter 21. It's taken me a while but I hope its worth it and once again I have to thank you all for the continued support, follows, favourites and reviews. So please read on and tell me what you think and how I can improve.**

* * *

Bertholdt looked up and into Connie's wide eyes, he took a moment to notice the way his shoulder and chest were heaving as if he had been running. It was his eyes however that caught Bertholdt's attention the most. They were wide and filled with panic, never before had he seen his eyes brimming with such worry and fear.

"My dad? What's wrong?" Bertholdt asked weakly. Connie simply held out his phone and looked down. "Hello?"

There was a brief pause before Bertholdt got an answer. "Is this Mr Hoover's son?"

Taking a deep breath Bertholdt balled his free hand. "Y-yes."

"I'm glad we finally got a hold of you," Sighed a female voice. "I work with your father."

Icy cold panic instantly flooded through his veins at the very mention of his father. "Is he okay!?"

This time there was an uncomfortably long silence between his question and the answer he reviewed. "I'm sorry to say your father has fainted," Bertholdt felt his chest tighten with each word. "He was put in the hospital where he was treated and then sent home but he needs someone to look after him. Can you get home now?"

Standing up Bertholdt rushed for the door. "Of course!" He shouted. "Do I need to get anything for him?" He asked as he grabbed his things from his locker.

Bertholdt left in such a hurry that both Annie and Connie were left stunned. Only when she heard the slamming of the door did her attention return to her. "Who was that on the phone?" She asked as she got to her feet.

"They just told me to find Bertholdt." Connie stuttered as he followed Annie through the door.

"Why did you even have his phone in the first place?"

Connie closed the door behind him and caught up to Annie as Bertholdt rushed out the front door. "I was cleaning and his phone… it just kept ringing so I went to give it to him but he was outside with you and I didn't want to interrupt so you know… I answered."

Seemingly ignoring him Annie threw open the door. "Bertholdt," She called out. "Wait up!" Only when he heard her voice did Bertholdt come to a stop. "What's going on?"

"It's my dad…" Bertholdt said. "He… he passed out at work and they need me to look after him. I'm sorry I just have to go." He added before turning away and running home.

"Connie, finish cleaning and lock up. Call me when you do." Annie ordered before chasing after Bertholdt.

The night air was cold and bracing as Annie ran through the park she had spent so many times running through with Bertholdt, however with her arm impeding her speed there was no way she could keep up with him. It didn't take long for Bertholdt to run so far ahead of her that Annie couldn't see or follow him anymore, sighing she came to a stop against a nearby tree she took a moment to catch her breath before reaching into her pocket and pulling out her phone.

Once she heard the ringing tone Annie broke out into a light jog down the path she last saw Bertholdt on. When he finally picked up she let out a heavy sigh of relief. "About time. You do realise I was following you right?"

"I'm sorry. I just need to get home." Bertholdt panted.

Annie stood up straight against the tree and caught her breath. "Then tell me where you live and I'll catch up." After getting his address Annie hung up and held onto her cast as she jogged through and out of the park. Despite the pain that shot through her arm whenever she ran Annie did her best to ignore it and didn't stop until she got out of the park.

With Bertholdt's instruction, it didn't take Annie long to find the apartment complex that she was looking for. Taking out her phone she called Bertholdt. This time Annie needed to wait only moments before he picked up.

"Annie? Are you here?"

"I'm outside, what floor are you on?"

There was a brief silence as Bertholdt looked out of his window. "Third from the top, it's the first door you see." He explained a calmly as he could.

After adjusting her brace Annie climbed the stairs as quickly as she could, even with her arm as it was it didn't take her as long as she thought it would to make her way to Bertholdt's floor. Upon reaching the floor Annie immediately headed towards his door and knocked loudly, she only had to wait a handful of seconds for Bertholdt to open the door.

The first thing Annie noticed when she saw him was just how tired Bertholdt looked. He normally carried himself at full height and walked with excellent posture, but now he was hunched over and slouching like he was carrying a great weight on his shoulders. His face was still bruised and swollen in places but his eyes were still focused. When he saw her he immediately let out a heavy sigh filled with relief.

"Thank you for getting here so quickly," Bertholdt chuckled. "Please come in." He said gesturing for Annie to come inside.

"How's your dad?" Annie asked once she was inside.

Bertholdt gave her a weak smile as he lead her through the corridor. "He's okay for now. He's got a fever and is just really exhausted but with some rest, he'll be fine," Now that she was inside Annie looked around Bertholdt's home. "Sorry, it isn't much. Do you want something to drink? You look exhausted."

"Thanks," Annie mumbled as Bertholdt disappeared into the kitchen. When he came back he holding a tall glass of water. Thanks again, but are you okay? You look like you're about to collapse."

The worry in Annie's voice made him suddenly aware of just how tired he was, he slouched even more and rubbed his eyes. "Yeah. I'm okay," Bertholdt sighed heavily. "It's just been a… long and surprising day."

A blush quickly rose on Annie's cheeks when she understood what Bertholdt was referring to. "Y-yeah. You've had a long day. Perhaps I should go." She said before putting her still full glass down and heading towards the front door. Only when a hand gently tugged on her sleeve did she stop.

"Don't go," He said quietly. "Please. I want to talk about it with you."

After taking a moment to get her heart rate under control Annie silently sat down across the small kitchen table. "What do you want to talk about?"

Bertholdt smirked. "We kissed."

"Did that count? We were kinda interrupted." Annie shrugged.

"I count it," Bertholdt quickly replied. "Do you?"

Annie pulled her sleeves over her fists and bit her bottom lip. "I want it to," She eventually said. "But I've never been good at… this sort of stuff."

"And you think I am?" Bertholdt chuckled. "If we're counting it that was my first my kiss."

"Mine too," Annie added with a fleeting smile. "But aren't you choosing what university you're going to?" Bertholdt slowly nodded. "Do you want to start something when you'll be leaving soon?"

Once again Bertholdt nodded. "Do you?"

"Yes," Annie said before she could stop herself. "Well. I want to but if we can is… is another matter."

"Why can't we?" Bertholdt asked.

Annie sighed. "My dad for one, ever since mum left he saw stuff like this as a distraction. He wanted me to focus on studies."

"I've helped you study before."

"The money issues at the gym."

Bertholdt paused for a moment. "I'll find another job and pay towards the gym."

"Why?"

"Because I care about the gym, I care about Connie and I care about you."

"Why?"

"B-because… you've helped me, in so many ways."

"You don't owe me or the gym anything."

This time there was no hesitation in his answer. "I know but I want to help anyway. Anything that can give us a chance. Don't you want to try?"

Annie went to reply but found the words stuck in her throat. She took a moment to think about what Bertholdt was proposing, eventually, she listened to her racing heart. "If I… talk to my dad about the studying what are we going to do about university?"

With an optimistic smile, Bertholdt reached across the table and placed a hand over Annie's "See how we feel and when the time comes we make a decision?"

"That… sounds nice." Annie said.

Bertholdt let out a heavy sigh of relief and gave a breathy laugh as he stood up. He was about to offer Annie something to eat when he heard something stir in the other room. "Give me a moment." He said excusing himself.

Now alone Annie leant back in her chair and looked up at the ceiling, she exhaled slowly in an attempt to calm her racing heart and ease the tightness in her chest. _So are we dating now?_ She asked herself. _How am I going to tell dad?_ Annie couldn't think of any answers to her question, all she could do was sigh and wonder what was going to happen to her and Bertholdt. As she asked herself question after question Annie waited for Bertholdt to get back, she could hear hushed voices from outside the door and eventually curiosity got the better of her.

Quietly stepping outside Annie followed the sound of Bertholdt's voice.

"I knew you were pushing yourself too hard," Annie found herself standing outside a closed door near the kitchen. "Why didn't you tell me about your fever?" There was a short silence. "Well what did the doctors say? No not you, the other doctors. And did you listen to them?" Another silence. "Okay I'll get you something to drink just keep resting."

Upon hearing Bertholdt's footsteps Annie stepped away from the door, when he stepped outside he found himself looking into Annie's eyes. "I'm sorry," She said. "Is he okay?"

"He's a bit dehydrated, utterly exhausted and he has a high fever but he'll be okay with plenty of fluids and some rest." Bertholdt explained as he walked back into the kitchen.

"Is there anything I could do to help?" Annie asked. Bertholdt looked down to her cast and frowned slightly. "I'm fine, it's not as if they've cut it off."

Bertholdt hummed. "Okay. If you could, could you run some water and get some towels, I wanna cool him down," Smiling, Annie looked to the various cupboards and cabinets in the kitchen. "Oh, there is a bowel in that one," He said pointing to a cabinet above the sink. "And there are towels in the bathroom through that door." He added pointing to a door outside the kitchen.

It didn't take long for Annie to find what she needed, after gathering the towels she put them on the kitchen table and reached up on her tiptoes to get the bowel Bertholdt had told about. "Was this place exclusively built for tall people?" She asked herself as she stretched her arm out as far as she could. "I bet his dad is just as tall as him, if not taller."

"Sorry, I didn't think about that." Annie suddenly turned around to find Bertholdt standing over her, the surprise of his presence caught her entirely off guard. He reached over her and up into the cabinet. Annie could feel his torso pressing into her back as he towered over her body. They had been this close before, even closer during training. It had always confused her, the way her heart would pound more than normal when they were sparring and how her face would flush whenever she had him pinned. However, now she understood how she felt and how he felt the tightness in her chest was suddenly a lot easier to explain.

Annie now found herself looking up into his eyes and once again felt her chest tighten, but this time she knew why. Annie stood up as tall as she could and reached out to take Bertholdt's cheek in her hand. She slowly guided his lips down to hers, he was about to close the distance between them when he heard his father call for him.

"Again," Annie scoffed quietly. "You better go check on him."

"I don't want to be interrupted a third time," He smiled before releasing Annie from his arms. "There's still a lot I want to talk to you about."

Annie smirked. "Then hurry up."

* * *

When he finally returned Bertholdt had rolled up his sleeves and had changed into something more comfortable but what Annie noticed were the clothes folded in his hands. "What are those for?" She asked.

A deep blush quickly rose on Bertholdt's cheeks as he looked down at the clothes he was carrying. "Well… I wasn't sure if you were staying the night. It's really late now and I didn't know if you wanted to walk all the way home at this hour."

"And you were wondering if I wanted to stay the night?" The blush of Bertholdt's cheeks intensified. "Do you even have somewhere for me to stay?"

"You could have my bed," Suddenly aware of what he just said Bertholdt shook his head. "And I would take the sofa, I mean if you want I could just walk you home."

Annie slowly reached out and took the clothes out his hands. "I'll call my dad. He'll take some convincing but it'll be okay."

Bertholdt's face lit up and a wide smile spread across his lips. With a sudden nod he handed Annie the rest of the clothes. "I'm going to get a shower. Feel free to help yourself to anything you can find. What's mine is yours." He said before rushing out of the door.

Once Bertholdt was gone Annie pulled out her phone, before calling her father she took a deep breath and prepared herself. She didn't have to wait long before he picked up the phone. "Annie! Where are you? Connie said you're at that Hoover's place. Is that true?"

"Yes," Annie sighed. "I'm at his place."

"Why? I thought I told you to stay home and study."

"His dad passed out at work. I went over to help Bertholdt like he helped me."

There was a short pause during which Annie held her breath. "How did he help you?"

"He has been helping me study and I've been helping him train."

"And let me guess. You're staying there tonight?"

"He… offered and I said yes."

The following period of quiet was enough to put Annie on edge. "Fine. Call me in the morning." Before she could thank him he hung up leaving Annie in silence. Once she put her phone away Annie leant back in her chair, closed her eyes and focused on the constant hum and rumble of the boiler and the dulled pounding of the water coming from the bathroom. _I could do with a shower._ She thought to herself. _That run really took it out of me._ Standing up Annie rolled her arm as she walked towards the bathroom door.

Bertholdt tilted his head back and groaned as his muscles relaxed under the hot water that ran down his neck and back. His bruised body ached with every move he made, looking down at his torso he scoffed at the myriad of bruises and marks that dotted his entire body. He was about the turn off the shower when he heard someone knock.

"Sorry, I won't be much longer," He called out before stepping out of the water. "Dad is something wrong?" Opening the door he found himself looking down at Annie, realising that he was in nothing more than a towel Bertholdt quickly closed the door. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know it was you."

"I-it's okay," Annie stuttered. "I should I have said something."

"Is something wrong?" Bertholdt asked.

"I was wondering if I could have a shower."

"Oh, of course," Bertholdt exclaimed. "I'll be out in a couple of minutes then it's all yours."

Annie thanked him and waited next to the door for Bertholdt to leave, when he eventually stepped out he was wearing a simple T-shirt than clung to his still wet torso, he was rubbing the towel over his head when he saw her.

"Ah, Annie. There's plenty of hot water."

"It helps doesn't it?" Annie said pointing to a large bruise on the side of Bertholdt's neck. "The hot water."

Without even realising it Bertholdt reached up and stroked his neck. "Yes. It does, maybe it would help your arm."

"That's the idea but… but I need your help."

"M-my help?" Bertholdt asked. "With what?"

Annie gestured to her cast. "Washing my arm, handling my cast. That sort of stuff."

"Oh…" Bertholdt's eyes fell to her pale white cast. "Of course. Just tell me what to do."

Bertholdt sat with closed eyes from behind the shower curtain, he had waited outside as Annie undressed and stepped under the stream of hot water. Only then did she tell Bertholdt to come in. Taking a deep breath he opened the door with tightly closed eyes. "Just wait until I'm done with my hair."

"Yeah…" Bertholdt mumbled as he took several more deep breaths.

"Are you okay with this?" Annie asked. "I can manage without you."

"N-no, no!" Bertholdt stuttered. "If you need me I'm here."

"Good," Annie smirked. "Do you have a stool or something for me to rest my arm on."

Bertholdt hummed his affirmation. "I looked in our first aid kit and we have a cast cover. It's waterproof so we don't need to worry about about a few splashes."

Annie stuck her arm out from behind the curtain. "Thanks, put it on now but… try to be gentle it's still a bit sore."

Bertholdt held his breath as he carefully slipped the plastic cover Annie's arm. "Do you need some painkillers?"

"No, I'm okay. Thanks though."

Bertholdt didn't answer, not immediately, he remained focused on the task at hand. Only once the cover was secure did he answer. "Well if you need anything let me know."

Annie rested her arm on the stool Bertholdt prepared. "Thanks, I can handle the rest now."

"Sure," Bertholdt said standing up, stretching his arms over his head he excused himself. The moment he got out and closed the door he let out a shaky sigh. Being only a thin plastic veil away from Annie's naked body caused his heart to race and face to flush a deep red. "I thought I was going to pass out," He panted. "I could almost see the outline of her body." When the shower suddenly went silent Bertholdt almost jumped.

Annie emerged wearing the clothes Bertholdt gave her, they were practically hanging off of her smaller frame. "I look ridiculous." She sighed.

Bertholdt shook his head. "I don't think so. I think you look… comfortable."

With a shrug Annie smirked. "You're not wrong. These are pretty good."

"I'll put your clothes in the wash, they'll be done by tomorrow morning."

"I didn't take you to be a house servant," Annie hummed. "You clean, do first aid. What else? Do you cook?"

With a childish smile Bertholdt shrugged his shoulders. "We've got some old cookbooks, I sometimes read them when I'm bored."

Before she could stop herself Annie spoke. "And you've never had a girlfriend before? You sound perfect."

Bertholdt blushed. "No. I guess you're my first."

"I guess I am. Like you're my first." Annie said quietly.

"I-I hope I'm making a good first impression."

Annie smirked as she stood as tall as she could. "It would help if we weren't constantly being interrupted."

Following her lead Bertholdt leant down to meet her advance. "That would be really nice," He whispered. "Really nice." The distance between their lips shrunk with each moment as Bertholdt tentatively reached out to cup Annie's cheek in his hand. It felt like an eternity as their lips finally came together, it was a slow and gentle kiss as if they were still learning the shape of feel of each other but despite the light and gentle contact to both Bertholdt and Annie, it felt like their entire body had seized up.

Annie could feel herself giving into the embrace, she was about to let out a shaky breath and throw her arms around Bertholdt's neck and pull him closer to her so she could indulge herself in his presence. However she was interrupted by a loud knocking on the door.

"I swear…" Annie groaned as she reluctantly let Bertholdt release her.

Giving her a weary smile Bertholdt silently apologised as he walked towards the door. "Who is it?"

"Guess who?" Replied a shaky voice. Bertholdt's smile instantly vanished as he quickly threw the door open. Standing in the doorway with a large bag over his shoulder and red raw eyes was Reiner. "Hey. Guess who got kicked out?"


	22. Chapter 22

**Well I have some explaining to do but first... Thank you so much if you're still around. It has been far too long since I updated and I know this chapter isn't the longest but I hope it's worth it. There is only going to be another two or three chapters before the this story is finished so I hope you stick with me until then and beyond.**

 **Read on and enjoy!**

* * *

The kitchen was near enough silent as Bertholdt filled the kettle with water and put it on the stove. Since opening the door and finding Reiner with his bags on his doorstep Bertholdt had said very little. He had simply ushered Reiner inside and sat him down in the kitchen, once he was sat down Bertholdt took his bag from him and set it down in his room, on the way back to the kitchen Annie gave him a concerned look.

"Come on." Bertholdt said as he walked back into the kitchen.

Once she walked through the door and sat down Reiner's eyes widened, especially when he saw the clothes she was wearing, after quickly looking between the two of them he stood up and headed to the door.

"Sorry. I shouldn't be here," Reiner said.

It was Annie who convinced him to stay. "No, tell us what's wrong. Now sit."

After Reiner quietly sat down Bertholdt set the kettle on and sat down opposite his friend and next to Annie.

The silence between them all was thick and heavy as Bertholdt waited for the kettle to boil. Eventually, it was Bertholdt that spoke first. "So. What happened?"

Upon hearing the question Reiner visibly stiffened in his seat.

"My parents," He said. "When they heard about the fight they were on edge... anything could have set them off. Then they heard about Marco and decided that they needed time to figure 'stuff' out. And here I am." Reiner scoffed with a weak smile.

Annie watched as Bertholdt balled his fists, his jaw was set in a hard line as he stood up and made his way over to the kettle. She had never seen his shoulders so hunched and figure so imposing. "I didn't know where else to go." Reiner stuttered.

"It's fine. You don't have to apologise, you always have a place here," Bertholdt said. He was finding it difficult to keep his voice at a normal tone. "What do you mean figure 'stuff' out?"

"You know what I mean." Reiner was staring at the table,

"I'll ask my dad to call your parents when he gets better."

Standing up Reiner went to his friend. "What do you mean gets better? What's wrong with him?"

Bertholdt's posture shifted and loosened as he turned to face Reiner. "He overworked himself. He's sleeping right now but he'll be okay in a day or two."

"He never knows how to take it easy," Reiner chuckled lightly. "I'll make sure to thank him when he's feeling better."

"He already knows how grateful you are," Bertholdt smirked with a hand on Reiner's shoulder. "And you can stay here as long as you need."

Reiner looked over to Annie and smirked. "You sure? I don't want to interrupt."

 _Again._ Bertholdt thought to himself. "It's fine," He blushed. "You don't have to worry."

Crossing his arms Reiner leaned against the kitchen counter. "You sure about that?" He scoffed looking at Annie. "Judging by what you're wearing I think I walked in at the wrong time."

The blush of Bertholdt's cheeks deepened as he remembered the position he and Annie had been mere minutes ago. He went to deny whatever Reiner was trying to insinuate when Annie stopped him.

"Isn't that what boys do?" She asked. "Offer their coats to girls in need."

A wide, toothy smile spread across Reiner's lips as he clutched his sides laughing. "Coats and jackets sure. But shirts and trousers? That usually means something else."

Annie shrugged her shoulders as she stood up. "Make of it what you will."

Worried that the conversation may lead to topics he wasn't ready to discuss Bertholdt quickly opened a nearby cupboard and hummed loudly. "So. Who's hungry?"

Reiner cracked a small smile and scoffed under his breath. "Never thought I'd see the day where you get all flustered over your girlfriend, in fact never thought I'd see you with a girlfriend… who is also an MMA fighter."

"Ex-fighter," Annie said looking down at her cast. "I'm done for this season. And probably all others for that matter." She said under her breath.

"I'm sorry about what happened to you," Reiner said with a sombre tone. "It looks like it was pretty rough."

Without realising she was doing it Annie gentle stroked her cast. "You don't have to apologise, you had nothing to do with it."

Reiner went to reply when he was cut off by the sound of violent coughing coming from the other room, Bertholdt's eyes widened as he stopped what he was doing and quickly excused himself. Once he was gone and the door closed behind him Reiner turned all his attention to Annie.

"So. You and Bertholdt are a thing now?" He asked.

Annie couldn't meet his eye, instead, she looked down at her lap. "We're trying."

"Trying?" Reiner repeated.

"Yeah," Annie nodded. "We're still not sure how we'll be together after we leave school."

"And you still want to try?" Reiner asked. "Even though it could end badly?"

"I don't know! I didn't plan on falling for him and I can be nearly certain he didn't plan on falling for me but that's what happened and now I deal with the result of that," Annie snapped. "I know I want to be with him but I have responsibilities to my dad, to our gym. Don't you think I want it to be simple?"

For a moment Reiner was stunned silent, he hadn't known Annie for very long but he had never seen such an outburst from her. "Sorry for prying like that," Reiner chuckled rubbing the back of his head. "I just wanted to make sure you weren't going to hurt him."

"You've been kicked out of your own home and right now your first priority is him?" Annie gawked.

Reiner smirked. "We've always looked after each other, that won't change now."

"So what are you going to do?"

Leaning back in his chair Reiner hummed deeply. "I'm not sure, I can't stay here forever. I guess I'll have to wait until my parents let me come home or I move away to uni." He shrugged.

"And you're okay with that?" Annie asked with narrowed eyes.

Reiner shrugged. "I can learn to be."

"I didn't think you to be well… like this. I always thought you were a muscle-head type," Annie explained. "I wasn't expecting you to be so, soft."

With a bark like a laugh Reiner smiled. "You're pretty blunt aren't you."

Annie shrugged. "I don't see the point of beating around the bush."

"Well, I was a muscle-head for a quite a while until I actually paid attention to what Bertholdt was saying," Reiner explained.

"And that was?"

"To stop caring about what people said. I stopped caring about what people said about who I like, I started to listen to the opinions of those I care about," Reiner explained. "Sounds dumb but it works. I went through most of school without letting anyone get under my skin, the only reason I got into that fight was because I saw them all going at Bertholdt. Normally we would just ignore them together."

"Didn't they leave you alone because of your…" Annie's voice trailed off as she gestured to his frame. "From what I heard Bertholdt had it pretty hard compared to you."

Reiner's gaze lowered. "Yeah… He did. I always felt guilty because I had it so easy. They were too afraid of me to try anything but Bertholdt… before he met you he was an easy target."

"I can see why," Annie said. "Weak-willed, fragile. It was no wonder they went after him but he it was only after they taunted him about me did he lash out." She explained.

"That should tell you how much he cares about you." Reiner chuckled.

Annie tucked a stray bang of hair behind her ear and smiled. "Yeah, I guess it does."

"I'm just worried he'll be taken advantage of, he cares so easily and so hard. It wouldn't be hard to do so." Reiner sighed.

"I'll do my best to look after him," Annie smirked. "If anyone can drive people away it's me."

Reiner scoffed loudly. "From what I heard you drove five people away who were armed with bats by yourself," Annie shrugged. "I'd say he's in good hands."

Annie went to thank him for his compliment when Bertholdt came back into the kitchen. "Sorry," He yawned. "He needed his towel changed. Are you guys alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, we're good," Reiner said briefly exchanging glance with Annie. "What about you? You look like you're about to pass out."

Bertholdt ran his fingers through his hair and chuckled. "I did earlier, against Mike."

Rubbing his temples Reiner stood up and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Then you should be resting as well."

Bertholdt smiled and shook his head. "You guys are my guests, I can't just go to sleep now."

"Well then I'm going to sleep," Reiner declared. "If it'll get you to finally get some rest I'll sleep on the floor right now."

"Fine, fine," Bertholdt exclaimed. "You'll have to take the sofa though."

"Like I said," Reiner smirked as he stood up and headed towards the door. "I'd sleep on the floor if I had to and by the way… thanks. For everything." Just before he left Bertholdt gave him a warm smile and a faint nod.

Now alone Bertholdt turned his attention to Annie. "So what did you and Reiner talk about while I was out?"

Annie's smile flickered. "Nothing important right now," She said standing up to walk towards him. "Now," Her hand reached out and gently pulled him down by the collar. "Can we finally finish what we started?"

Blood rush to his cheeks as he let Annie guide him towards her lips, it was only when he noticed the slight grimace on her face. "Annie? What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Narrowing his eyes Bertholdt pulled away from Annie's grasp and gently took her cast in his hands. "Is it hurting?" Annie bit her lip and slowly nodded. "I'll get you some painkillers," Bertholdt sighed as he knelt down to look under the sink. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I knew you'd get worried and you already had too much to deal with, without me complaining about my arm."

"That's not the point," Bertholdt groaned from under the skin. "The point is that you're in pain. So I'm going to do whatever I can to help you not be in pain," He explained. Annie reluctantly sat back down and sighed to herself. "Ah! Found it!" Bertholdt said with a smile as he stood up with a small white box in hand. "You should take these and go to sleep, you could use the rest."

Annie took the box and popped out two small, white pills. "I'll go to bed if you do to. You need some sleep as well."

Pouring Annie a glass of water Bertholdt smirked. "Fine, fine. Since you insist."

* * *

Bertholdt looked up from the sink and reached for a towel, after drying his face he found himself looking in the mirror. Sighing heavily he tentatively stroked the bruises on his cheeks and around his eyes. "Mike really didn't hold back," He chuckled to himself. "It'll take ages for these to fade," Standing up he stretched his arms over his head and groaned loudly. "I'll get to university and everyone will think I'm a thug."

Once he was finished Bertholdt quietly tiptoed around his home, he peered over the sofa and found Reiner snoring loudly under the blankets he and Annie found for him. Content that he was sleeping soundly Bertholdt turned his attention to his own room. Inside he could just make out the silhouette of Annie's small figure, her chest slowly rising and falling under the covers. Happy that his tenants were sleeping peacefully Bertholt put on his shoes and quietly shut the door behind him. However as quietly as he closed the door it didn't stop him from waking Annie from her slumber.

Outside Bertholdt shuddered as the cold sank through his skin, stuffing his hands in his pockets he looked up at the cloudless sky and smirked as he walked towards the park. As he expected the park was completely empty.

"I guess it's only natural," He chuckled. "It's the middle of the night, I guess I'm the only one stupid enough to still be awake" It didn't take him long to find the bench he and Annie had spent so many hours sitting on. Leaning back against the wooden seat he sighed heavily rubbing his eyes. "I'm glad it's the weekend, I can already feel my muscles stiffening up." He groaned.

Stretching his arms over his head Bertholdt's smile faded. "I doubt I'll have much time to train with Annie anymore with finals coming up."

"Are you trying to get out of training?"

Bertholdt visibly jumped as he stood up and turned around. "Annie! What are you doing here?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing. I woke up to the sound of you leaving, I wanted to know where you went." Annie explained as she sat down on the bench.

Sitting down next to her Bertholdt apologised for waking her up. "Sorry, I just needed to clear my head."

"We've had a lot on our minds," Annie smirked. "I could use the fresh air as well." She said as she rested her head on Bertholdt's shoulder.

Smiling to himself Bertholdt relaxed and gently rested his own head on her's. "Am I right in thinking we're worried about the same thing?"

Annie shrugged. "Pretty much. Finals are coming up and I'm not feeling too optimistic."

"I said I'll help you study. What grades do you need?"

Lifting her head up Annie looked up at the sky. "That's the thing, I don't know," Bertholdt narrowed his eyes. "I mean I don't know what college or university I want to go to."

"Well… do you know what you want to do when you get there? Wherever there is."

Annie hummed as she shook her head. "No. It's weird, if anything this arm," She said looking down at her cast. "Has made me realise what I want to do."

"And what is that?"

Even though he couldn't see it Bertholdt could picture the smile on Annie's lips. "I want my own gym." She said without hesitation.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I miss being in the ring, the feel of it all. Even teaching you was pretty fun." She scoffed.

Bertholdt smirked. "Really? I thought I just annoyed you most of the time."

"Oh you did," Annie pointed out. "But it was still fun, and it made me realise what I wanted to do."

"Do you think it's possible?"

Annie bit her lip but slowly nodded. "Yeah, I think I can do it… with a little help."

"You know, I'm not sure we can open a gym right away."

Sighing Annie rubbed her temples. "Yeah, I know. Still, a girl can dream."

"I'm not saying it's impossible. Just… really difficult."

Annie narrowed her eyes and gently elbowed his side. "Well, then how would you do it?"

"Go to university first. Get a degree in something that'll help to open a gym, then save up a lot of money." Bertholdt explained.

"You've put a lot of thought into this." Annie scoffed.

Bertholdt was thankful for the dark that hid his blush. "Well… I like the gym as well. I was thinking this place needed a medic or someone to patch people up. Maybe we could employ Connie as a cleaner or ref."

"We? This is going to be my gym. You can just be an employee."

"Funny. If I wasn't for me who'd patch you up?" Bertholdt chuckled.

Annie hummed. "I don't have to get patched up if I don't get hit."

"Really? I remember the black eye Nanaba gave you."

"Fine," Annie huffed. "Maybe I could share the management."

Bertholdt smiled warmly. "I'm honored."

"Oh, I was talking about Connie."

"You're joking right?"

Annie shrugged her shoulders as she stood up, reaching down she took Bertholdt's hand in her's before pulling him to his feet. "Perhaps I can be convinced." She whispered.

Bertholdt felt his chest tighten as she pressed her hand against his cheek, it always surprised him how soft her touch was, he had experienced the strength she could put behind her balled fists countless times so it was always a shock to feel how gentle she could be. This time as she guided his lips down to her own there were no distractions, no interruptions. Just the two of them. When their lips finally met Bertholdt's entire stiffened and the air in his lungs froze as Annie slowly snaked her arms over and around his neck.

It was only when Annie pushed harder against him did Bertholdt unfreeze and reciprocate her kiss. His hands found their way down to her waist pulling her closer to him. His touch came as a shock to Annie causing her to gasp against his giant frame.

Pulling away Bertholdt's blush deepened. "S-sorry."

"It's okay," Annie whispered. "Maybe we should head back. It's pretty cold out here."

Taking her hand in his Bertholdt lead Annie home with a wide warm smile on his lips.


End file.
